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Police in Osun State command have apprehended a middle- aged man, Adamu Saliu and his 15-year son for allegedly abducting church worshipers during a night vigil at Odu area in Osun State .
The father and his son were among the 14 suspects paraded yesterday at the police headquarters in Osogbo.
Parading the suspects before newsmen ,the police public Relations Officer, SP Yemisi Opalola said the suspected kidnappers were apprehended after they invaded a Pentecostal church where worshipers were holding all night vigil.
According to the PPRO, the hoodlums whose numbers could not be easily ascertained, stormed the church, shot sporadically to scare the worshippers away.
She explained that the suspected kidnappers abducted some members of the church among who were females and were reportedly assaulted sexually in the process.
She said the police, on receiving the information, moved to the scene and combed the bushes as a result of which they apprehended three suspects including father and son .
Speaking with our correspondent, Saliu who claimed to be a farmer and an Imam in Ilesha, denied any involvement in kidnapping.
His words “I rear cattle and i have an apprentice and a son that assist me in my workshop.
“So it happens that their is a white garment church in my area that did vigil on that night and some hoodlums went there to disrupt their gathering and whisked some of their members into the bush.
” I was not among those hoodlums that went to church, I didn’t even know such things happened, it was in the morning after observing my prayers, that I saw some policemen with my apprentice and my 15 year old son and the police said we are involved in the crime.”he stated .
Speaking with our correspondent, Esther Ayodeji, one the victims who narrated her ordeal to journalists, said the hoodlums invaded the church during all night vigil at Messiah parish Odu Osun State.
She said the hoodlums whose number could not be easily ascertained, stormed the church and shot at the roof of the church.
She explained that one of the women was assaulted after some hoodlums abducted them into the bush.
She said the marauders came at midnight, but that their mission was not to steal, but to abduct, saying all their mobile phones and other personal effects were not stolen .
This, she stated made her to believe that they came for different mission .
Also paraded were two car snatchers simply identified as Alaba Adewole and Adebayo Adedayo.
They were alleged to have specialised in car snatching before nemesis caught up with them .
They confessed to have snatched two Toyota cars at Ilesha from where the owners parked them around 8pm.
“We are three in number that took the car and we worked together .
” This is the first time we are engaging in this .
” The situation of the country led me to steal.
” My friend only gave me 100k out of the money and the act was carried out during the naira scarcity out of which I collected 80k through the PoS.
According to the police image maker ,two Toyota corolla of 204 and 206 model were exhibits recovered from Adewole and Adedayo after their confessional statements.
She ,however appealed to church worshipers to be weary of attending All night Virgil in some remote areas to prevent ugly occurrence just as she said all the suspects would be charged to court soon after police conclude their investigation .
