A fulani herdsman, identified as Muritala Umaru, has been arrested after his confession to have been responsible for kidnapping in parts of Edo and neighbouring states.
The herdsman, who the police claimed has been to prison several times, has said his gang made over N100 million from kidnapping.
An AK47 rifle with breech number KO340119 and 10 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition were recovered from him.
Umaru who was paraded before reporters at the police headquarters said he became a kidnapper four years ago in Okenne, Kogi State and had participated in several kidnapping across Edo State.
He said he had cattle, adding that his gang had 10 AK47 rifles with which they carried out kidnapping.
He revealed that it was somebody he described as a ‘Chief’ from an Edo community who gave them identities of their victims.
The kidnapper said they realised N10 million from one of their victims, pledging to cooperate with the police.
On what happened to some of their victims, he said it was his boss that was responsible for the killing of victims who refused to cooperate.
Umaru said: “I am married. I stay in Auchi, but I was born in Lokoja. I am into kidnapping. I have been a kidnapper for four years. I started in Lokoja. I have kidnapped over 50 persons. We kidnapped them when they were travelling.
One man gave us target. I collected N3 million in our last operation. It is my boss that kills people. He had killed many people. We operate in Auchi, Ekpoma, Okenne and other places.
Police Commissioner Babatunde Kokumo described Umaru as a kidnapper who disguised as an herder.
“The man has been in an out of prison. He has kidnapped in Edo and other states. The prison official he kidnapped identified him.”
A welder, who was on Monday rescued from kidnappers’ den at Afuze in Owan East Local Government, Mr. Idirisu Mohammed, has identified a herdsman, Abubakar Ilyasu, as one of his abductors.
He said he was rescued before Abubakar returned.
His words: “I am 51 years old. I am a farmer and a welder. On Monday morning, I was taking my workers to the farm. At Warrake road near Afuze, I saw herdsmen come out of the bush. They had guns. They collected our phones and used cutlass to attack us. They took us to the bush. It was a vigilance group, hunters and police who rescued me. They ran away and abandoned me when the rescued team shot at them.
“This one that was nabbed was sent to buy food. Before he returned, the rescued team arrived and the food was with him.”
Abubakar said he left his cattle to buy food when he was arrested.
