A 24-year-old
farmer, Sule Haruna, has been remanded in prison by a Lokoja Chief Magistrate’s
Court over alleged kidnap of a female banker, Morayo Ogunleye for N10m ransom.
Mr. Alhassan
Husaini of Lokoja Chief Magistrate Court II who gave the remand order on
arraignment of the accused on Monday in Lokoja said the two-count charge
preferred against Haruna was not bailable.
"It is
hereby ordered that the accused be remanded at the Federal Prisons,
Koton-Karfe. Meanwhile, this case is adjourned to April 17, for mention,” the
judge said.
The accused
was charged with criminal conspiracy and kidnapping contrary to Section 97(1)
of the Penal Code and sections 4(1) and 2 of the Kogi State Kidnapping and
Other Related Offences (Prohibition) Law, 2015.
Earlier in his
submission, the prosecuting police officer, Sgt. Adeboye Awoyale, told the
court that the kidnap case was reported by one Sam Ayinigba of Zenith Bank,
Lokoja, on November 15, 2016.
Awoyale said
the Police Special Anti Robbery Squad received a distress call from Zenith
Bank, Akure branch, that a senior staff of the bank, Morayo Abiodun Ogunleye, had
been kidnapped.
According to
him, Ogunleye, who was travelling to Abuja on an official assignment in the
company of her driver, was violently stopped at a spot between Osara and
Irepeni on Okene-Lokoja highway by armed Fulani men.
The prosecutor
further alleged that the Fulani men invaded the road and started shooting
sporadically at her Hyundai Sonata vehicle and stopped them at gun point.
The hoodlums
later kidnapped the banker and her driver and took them into the bush, only to
later call Ogunleye’s relations to demand N10m ransom before they could release
her.
Awoyale said
the accused (Haruna) of Zaho Area, Lapai, Niger State, an alleged member of the
kidnap gang, was later caught with the banker’s driving license, National
Identity Card, Zenith Bank ATM and voters’ card.
Other items
found in his possession include verification card as well as Union Bank and
Diamond Bank ATM cards, with some copies of her passport photograph for which
he could not give satisfactory explanation.
The prosecutor
said investigation into the case was in progress.
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