The arrested Seriki Fulani of Ijebu Ode, Muhammadu Abdullai, has denied involvement in kidnapping despite admitting he knew his son, Bala, had previously been jailed for the crime, while police say a ransom bag was recovered from his kitchen.
Muhammadu Abdullai, the 67-year-old leader of the Fulani community in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, has pleaded innocence following his arrest by police over alleged links to a kidnapping syndicate operating in communities across the Ijebu axis. Abdullai was arrested alongside his eldest son after operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Ogun State Police Command raided the family compound during investigations into a series of abductions. Police, however, said one of the bags allegedly used to collect ransom from a victim was recovered from the suspect’s kitchen.
According to police sources, investigations linked several kidnapping incidents in Ijebu Ode, Imodi, Irewon, Iwode and Okun Owa to Abdullai’s son, Bala Muhammadu, who was recently released from prison after serving a five-year sentence for kidnapping. The source alleged that Bala and two of his brothers escaped through the bush after being alerted to the presence of security operatives. “After painstaking and intelligence investigation, one of the bags which was used in the payment of the ransom for one of the victims was recovered in the father’s kitchen. One of the children who saw us coming into the community already hinted Bala and his other brothers and they had escaped through the bush,” the source said. The police further alleged that there was a resurgence of kidnapping activities in the area after Bala’s release from prison.
Speaking to journalists, Abdullai denied any involvement in kidnapping and said he believed his son had abandoned crime after serving his jail term. “I don’t know anything about the bag that was found in my house. I live in the same compound with my children and wives. I have never kidnapped anybody in my life,” he said. He admitted knowing that Bala had previously engaged in kidnapping and disclosed that he personally took him to hospital for treatment after his release from prison. “I thought that he had turned a new leaf because he is now into farming and cattle rearing. I didn’t know that he is still into kidnapping,” he said. His eldest son, Bello Muhammadu, who was also arrested, similarly denied involvement in any criminal activity, insisting he only knew that Bala had been imprisoned years ago and had no knowledge of his current activities.
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