DSS parades suspected kidnappers of Falae

The Department of State Service (DSS) yesterday paraded two suspects accused of taking part in the kidnapping of Chief Olu Falae.

An official of the DSS, Abdullahi Garba while parading the suspects at the Abuja head office of the Service, said they were arrested on October 5th at a Hotel along Ganaja Road, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Falae who was a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Minister of Finance, was abducted on his farm at Ilado village, Akure, Ondo State on September 21 by armed men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen and released four days later.

Garba said the abductors’ action was not targeted at Falae as a statesman and prominent Yoruba leader, adding that they were mere criminals.

He enjoined Nigerians to shun attempts by mischief makers to give the incident an ethnic coloration to cause disaffection among the populace.

“To this effect, this service wishes to appeal to all Nigerians to be lawabiding and responsible in their commentary on sensitive issues affecting national security,” Garba said.

He warned that the Service would not hesitate to deal with anybody, no matter how highly placed, in accordance with the law.

Garba stressed that efforts were being intensified to ensure that all those involved in the criminal act were brought to justice.

The suspects, who admitted committing the crime, said that they carried it out in conjunction with one Dattijo, who ran away with the N5 million ransom paid.

One of the suspects 26- year- old Babawuro Kato narrated how he was approached by Dattijo, now at large, at a wedding in K war a State shortly before the last Eid El-Kabir.

He confessed that he gave information on a “big man” that can be abducted so as to get money for the Sallah celebrations.

Kato told journalists that “I then told him that I know one man who used to bring a Hilux vehicle to his farm and I used to see him as I move my cows about.”

Kato said Falae was abducted and taken to Owo where he was kept at a place called “Pipelines” around Benin junction.

Also speaking the second suspect, Abdullahi Usman said he had no knowledge of the man being kidnapped but only helped in transporting Falae with Dattijo on his motorcycle through bush paths while Falae was still in captivity.