Police in Edo parade 44 suspected kidnappers.

THE war against kidnapping in Edo
State recorded success, as the state police
command, Wednesday, paraded 44 suspected
kidnappers including those involved in the recent
kidnap of three primary school teachers.
Addressing newsmen on the breakthrough in its
battle against criminality, the state Police
Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo, expressed
satisfaction over the achievement, adding that the
suspects will soon be charged to court.
The command also disclosed that assorted
ammunition and firearms, including locally made
and foreign guns, were seized from the suspected
criminals.
Adebanjo who said about 500 suspected
kidnappers were being prosecuted in the state,
vowed that any form of criminality in the state
would be met with extreme force.
He said: "On July 18, 2013, 32 suspected criminals
who were arrested for various crimes were
paraded. Today, we have in our custody another
44 suspects that will soon be charged to court for
various offences.
Narrating how the police captured some of the
suspected kidnappers, who masterminded the
abduction of Patience Osadolor, Patience
Oroghene and Aisha Momodu, teachers of
Orhogbua Primary School, in Ekenwan
community, Ovia North East Local Government
Area, who were recently freed Adebanjo called on
residents to beware of people, some of who he
said parade themselves as community leaders.
"This state is not safe for any form of criminality
and I want them to know this. These people
arrested, some of them had carnal knowledge of
children which is ungodly. They will face the law
and we will intensify our search for criminals in
this state," he stated.
One of the suspected kidnappers, Morrison Gajah
(45), who claimed to be a community leader,
confessed to purchasing the guns used in the
teachers' abduction, but denied knowledge of
activities of the perpetrators.
He said, "I am chairman of Ekenwa CDA and over
a year ago, we bought two locally made guns and
one pump action from Joseph Oteh. We were
keeping them in the community, but I shuttle
between there (Ekenwan) and Benin and these
boys (pointing at (Edimere Pawuru), who had the
weapons in their custody, to commit the crime."
Pawuru in turn denied direct link with the
teachers' abduction, claiming that those that
carried out the act escaped from their houses on
sighting the police.Among others paraded were
armed robbery suspects, including Onaiwu
Jeffrey, Omoghia Jesuf, Ibrahim buba, Ebose
Endurance, Sunday Esosa, Imafidon Ehigie and
Osazee Oshenoma, who the command said it
recovered.
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