Gunmen have invaded a mosque at Soyoye, in the Rounder area of Abeokuta, Ogun State, where they kidnapped a police inspector, Kamarudeen Bello, and two other worshippers.
The policeman was kidnapped last Sunday around 8pm while praying.
Our correspondent gathered that Bello, whose wife gave birth four days before the incident, was the imam of the mosque.
A source said, “After imam was abducted alongside two others, the kidnappers called to demand N5m ransom for the release of each of the victims. But with pleadings and negotiations, the money was reduced.
The imam’s wife was contacted with the phone number of one of the kidnapped victims.”
It was learnt that the hoodlums did not know that Bello was a policeman, as he was not in uniform or with any identity when he was picked up in the mosque.
Another source said, “Most of us were scared when they kidnapped him; we didn’t want them to know he is a policeman. If they knew, they might have killed him over fear that he would aid their arrest.”
It was learnt that the policeman and others were released before the week ran out after the payment of ransom.
The source said, “I don’t know how much each of them paid, but I think the police inspector parted with about N700,000 before he was released.”
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the abduction.
However, Oyeyemi said he was not aware of any payment of ransom.
He added that the police would not relent in dealing with kidnappers and other criminal elements in the state.