BREAKING: Elite police team arrest masterminds behind Turkish school kidnap (Photo)

Following very rigorous investigations, the police have arrested four suspected masterminds of the kidnapping of pupils and staff members of the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges.

Suspected mastermind behind Turkish school kidnap

Vanguard reports that the police at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on Thursday, January 26, disclosed that four members of the notorious kidnapping gang who abducted five students and three members of staff of the Turkish School, Isheri have been arrested and the sum of N1.2 million being part of the ransom collected, recovered from one of them.

Force Public Relations Officer, Acting Commissioner of Police, Don Awunah gave the names of the suspects as Bekewei Agbojule, aka “Prince Yellow”, Philip Joel Kakadu, aka “General Kakadu,” a militant leader, Romeo Council, aka “Raw” and Totki Okoda, (the informant) who resides in the creeks behind the school at the Ijaw fishermen settlement (He provided information for the gang about the school and the victims).

According to the Force PRO, “The IGP’s Intelligence Response Team, IRT, working in synergy with the Tactical Intelligence Unit, TIU, of the Nigeria Police Force in a joint operation supervised by AIG Kayode Aderanti, AIG Zone 2, Lagos successfully smashed the notorious kidnap gang and arrested four vicious kidnappers who are active members of the gang.”

“In the course of investigation into the dastardly crime, three suspects namely: Philip Joel Kakadu, aka “General Kakadu” a militant leader; Romeo Council, aka “Raw” and Totki Okoda who lives in the fishermen’s community behind the school and provided information about the victims to his gang, were trailed and arrested at different locations in Delta, Ogun and Lagos states respectively, for the roles they played in the commission of the crime.

“Further investigation and sustained pursuit of the matter by the Intelligence Response Team, led to the arrest of Bekewei Agbojule aka “Prince Yellow”, a principal suspect and one of the key members of the gang on the 25th January, 2017, at about 7.00am.

“The suspect, who is an Ijaw from Arogbo town in Ondo State was arrested after he came out of the creeks to enjoy his loot. N1.2 million, part of his share of the ransom was recovered from him.

“The four suspects confessed to the crime, volunteered useful statements to the investigators and are cooperating with the Police. Concerted efforts are being made to arrest the remaining suspects who are at large.

All the suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.”

Punch Metro had earlier reported that apart from the ringleaders, Philip Kakadu, aka General Kakadu, and Romeo Council, aka Raw, other suspects were also said to be undergoing screening in connection with the abduction.

Investigations reveal that 29-year-old Kakadu and Council, 40, were apprehended in Warri, Delta State, by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, led by ACP Abba Kyari.

Some gunmen had stormed the NTIC last Friday through a hole dug under the school fence and headed for the female hostel, where three pupils were abducted.

A Turkish teacher, a supervisor, a matron and two intending candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, who worked in the school, were also whisked away by the assailants.

The kidnappers had contacted the matron’s husband and demanded N100m while the police were under pressure to rescue the victims safely.

However, operatives said they were exercising restraints to storm the possible locations of the suspects in the creeks in order not to endanger the lives of the victims.

A police source told our correspondent on Wednesday that the two masterminds had reportedly confessed to orchestrating the crime, adding that the arrest would mount pressure on the captors to release the victims.

BREAKING: Police arrest mastermind behind Turkish school kidnap (UPDATED)

“Council is a native of the Bomadi Local Government Area, Delta State, while Kakadu hails from Warri North LGA of the state. They were arrested on Tuesday and have confessed to orchestrating the kidnapping at the school.

“They also confessed to other kidnappings, including the abduction of the Iba monarch in Lagos, and some Isheri landlords. With their arrest, we believe their boys holding the victims in the creeks would surrender,” the source said.

Kakadu allegedly told the police that five of his boys were among those involved in the NTIC operation.

“Kakadu is based in Lagos. He went to Warri to have fun. That was when operatives swooped on him. Five of his men were part of the gang and he is cooperating with the police,” another source added.

A top security agent said the aim of going after the kingpins was not only to secure the release of the victims, but also to find a better way of addressing incessant kidnappings in Lagos and Ogun states.

Efforts to get comment of the Force Public Relations Officer, CP Donald Awunah, were unsuccessful as calls made to his line rang out. He had also yet to reply to a text message sent to him as of press time.