The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a hotel manager, Remilekun Ajilola, 41, and one Musa Shaibu, 25, over the kidnap of a 14-year-old boy in Apapa.

The teenager, identified as Hassan, was kidnapped on May 1 by a group of suspected criminals in the Olodi-Apapa area of the state.

According to the police, the boy?s father had reported the incident that evening after the kidnappings demanded N20,000 ransom.

As soon as the case was reported, operatives were deployed to the agreed point of ransom collection at Total Filling Station, Wema Bridge, Apapa.

?The team arrested one of the kidnappers namely Musa Shaibu, 25. The team also went to the kidnappers? criminal hideout at a hotel in Ajegunle area, where the victim was kept.

?He was rescued unhurt, debriefed and reunited with his family while the manager of the hotel one Remilekun Ajilola, 41, was also arrested and taken into police custody for investigation,? said the Police spokesman, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin.

He said the command also arrested suspected cultists at Alagbada and Yaba areas of the state on April 27 and 29.

Hundeyin said operatives around 1:30pm on April 27, received a distress call that one Quadri, 25, was attacked by two suspected cultists armed with dangerous weapons at Alagbado.

He said a team of operatives were mobilised to the scene where the suspects identified as Riliwan Afuape, 26, and Bamidele Ayobami, 29, were arrested and detained, while the victim was rescued with a machete cut on his right hand and rushed to General Hospital, Ile-Epo for treatment.

Preliminary enquiry revealed that the victim was attacked as a result of his refusal to join the suspects? cult group. Meanwhile, investigation is in progress.?

Hundeyin said eight other suspected cultists were arrested at the wee hours of April 29, following credible intelligence about their activities around Sabo in Yaba.

He said those arrested were Ayomide Daniel, 30; Afeez Enitan, 28; Mayor Samson, 28; Olamilekan Adeagbo, 26, alias ?skinny?; Quadri Sikiru, 26; Mariam Salihu, 23; Adeyemo Abdulsamad, 24, alias ?cloud,? and Basit Ishola, 20.

The police spokesman said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were involved in several cases of cult related killings within Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), Sabo and its environs.

?Upon searching the suspects, one Berretta pistol with four rounds of live 9mm ammunition, one unexpended cartridge, two battle axes and two cutlasses were recovered from them. The suspects are assisting the police in its investigations,? he said.

The command said three suspects were also arrested for allegedly car theft, adding that the vehicle was recovered from them.

It said the suspects identified as Oluwafemi Oladapo, 28, Idris Mustapha, 28, and Sefianu Usman, 29, allegedly stole a vehicle from where it was parked at Alapere and moved to Okekoto in Agege to sell it on May 1.

?The vehicle owner has been contacted and the vehicle handed over to him after careful verification. Investigation is ongoing to arrest other members of the syndicate,? said the police. (The Nation)

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