Following the high prevalence of kidnapping in Nigeria and Kwara State in particular, the Kwara State Government has been frantically involved in the fight against the criminal act. Just yesterday, a hotelier and former kingmaker, Ramoni and Bunmi Popoola were arrested by the men of the Nigerian Army for allegedly involved in the kidnapping.
Ramoni, a herder and hotelier, was reportedly whisked away by soldiers along with an accomplice herbalist, Bunmi Popoola, for their alleged involvement in a kidnapping saga in Odo-Owa, Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara, on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Popoola, Ramoni’s alleged accomplice, was formerly a kingmaker in the Odo-Owa community but was in October 2016 expelled by the Odo-Owa Traditional Council for criminal activities.
In the same vein, the suspected kidnapper was accused of raping a 27-year-old girl, Joke, under the guise of curing her of an ailment.
Joke, an agricultural science graduate of the College of Education, Lafiagi, was reportedly afflicted with a strange disease in 2014, which defied orthodox medication and was referred to Popoola for treatment.
Joke’s mother had told the police then that “Popoola always used a handkerchief to wipe the private part of her daughter each time he had sex with her and threatened her with death if she revealed what he did.”
After his arrest, an angry mob, mostly youth, on Friday set ablaze properties belonging to the suspected kidnapper in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara. Some of the properties that were torched by the mob include two private cars, two houses and a hotel structure.
The arrest was made possible with the help of an unnamed hunter in Odo-Owa who reportedly prevented the payment of ransom to secure the freedom of a kidnapped victim. The kidnappers about 5 of them tied down the kidnapped victim in a Fulani settlement called Ruga.
Some of the kidnappers reportedly fled the scene while Ramoni, who was in his car with Bunmi heading toward Ruga at the time, was suspected to have a hand in the incident and were promptly arrested and whisked away by soldiers.
