Our officer not involved in attempt to kidnap Femi Otedola - NSCDC

The Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, said that contrary to media reports, none of its officers was arrested for attempted kidnap of business mogul, Femi Otedola.

The police in a statement by its spokesman, Don Awunah, said they arrested three members of a notorious gang, a serving NSCDC officer identified as Kayode Adeyemi and an alleged dismissed soldier, that planned to abduct Mr Otedola and demand N1 billion ransom.The suspects were arrested by the operatives of the Special Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector-General of Police in Oyo and Ogun States.

The reports quoted Adeyemi as telling the police that he was an NSCDC Inspector, serving in Ibadan and that he supplied the gang with the victims’ contacts. However, the statement by the NSCDC spokesman, Oluwole Olusegun disowned Adeyemi, saying he was neither in the nominal nor pay roll of the Oyo State Command of the corps as reported.

"The Management of the NSCDC, Oyo State Command, wishes to react to the purported parade of one 29-year-old Kayode Adeyemi, male, claiming to be a personnel of the corps, serving with the command. The suspect, who also claims to be an aide to the State Commandant, was reportedly arrested by the police on June 23 and paraded on November 15, along with two other suspects for planning to kidnap a business mogul, Femi Otedola.

"The command states categorically that Adeyemi was not a personnel of the corps, neither was he at any time a Personal Assistant to the State Commandant."

Olusegun said the state police command never contacted the NSCDC to verify Adeyemi’s claims before going public. He urge security agencies to always verify their facts before going to the media on criminal matters, so as not to tarnish the image of the innocent ones.