The Ogun State Police Command has detained three Islamic clerics for allegedly extorting a man identified simply as Tola, who reportedly sought special prayers from them.

But Hamzat Hamed, the brother of one of the clerics, Sulaimon, claimed that Tola who sought special prayers was allegedly involved in cybercrime, and wondered why the police did not detain him as well.

PUNCH Metro reported on Monday that Tola had allegedly gone with some suspected soldiers numbering up to five to Bankole Estate, Gasline, Magboro, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state to arrest Hamzat.

Following the arrest last week, Hamzat, who said he followed the soldiers to their base at Ebute, in the Arepo area of the local government area, had his Toyota RAV 4 seized by the military officers, who demanded that Hamzat must produce his brother, Sulaimon.

Hamzat reported the matter at the Warewa Police Station when his vehicle was seized by the soldiers.

He also tackled the army, saying they allowed their men to be used by civilians.

Speaking further on Wednesday, Hamzat, who said he had got his vehicle back from the police, said, “Soldiers are following the guy (Tola) around. They did not detain him. I have produced my brother and the two other Alfas involved in the case.

“They have all been detained at the station. My brother has been there for about five days. If those people had done the wrong thing, what about this ‘Yahoo Boy’ (Tola)? He was still at the station yesterday (Tuesday) and they did nothing to him.”

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a senior police officer at Warewa Police Station, who is not authorised to speak, told our correspondent that the police only had a report that a man was duped and the suspects involved were detained.

The officer said, “Soldiers only impounded his (Hamzat’s) vehicle and asked him to go and bring his brother, and when the case got to the police, we swung into action. His brother came and we released the vehicle to the owner while the case is under investigation.

“There is no complaint before me that somebody is a ‘Yahoo Boy’. We don’t have such a case. What I have is that somebody duped him and those boys have confessed that they indeed obtained money from him.”

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, urged the family to be patient, saying, “Investigation takes time. Let them be patient.”

The spokesperson for the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Olabisi Ayeni, however, said efforts were on to identify the suspected soldiers involved. (The PUNCH)

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