•IG: our operation led to ex-SGF’S release
The police have queried the Falae family for paying ransom to the abductors of the former Secretary General of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, maintained that police operations put pressure on the kidnappers.
On Monday, Falae, in an interview, claimed that his family paid ransom to his abductors.
The Force yesterday in a rejoinder captioned: “Re: Ransom Payment By The Family of Chief Olu Falae” claimed that it was not privy to the payment of the ransom. It noted that it does not encourage the payment of ransom.
The police, however, noted that it will investigate the ransom payment and determine how the money was paid.
In the rejoinder, the police noted that it will be interested in widening its investigative scope to explore the lead on how payment was made and to whom such payment was made.
The police, in its investigations, also want to know if the payment was perfected through bank transactions.
In the rejoinder, the Force claimed to have the capacity to track such transactions and would be liaising with banks to enable it track the cash and apprehend the perpetrators.
The rejoinder highlighted some of the some of the roles the police played in the rescue of the former finance minister.
It reads: “Our approach was a professional response to what we saw as a crime against a respected national personality.
“The police, under the leadership of IGP, deployed our unique intelligence and operational capabilities, including police helicopters, for aerial surveillance.
“Our intelligence and operational teams, comprising Intelligence Response Team (a Special Anti-Kidnapping Unit), conventional and mobile policemen were deployed for rescue operation.
“They followed the path from the point of kidnapping at his farm at Ilado, on Igbatoro Road in Akure, Ondo State and trailed the hoodlums through bushes to Owo.
“In the process, we were able to identify the major actors and currently high level police activities are being emplaced to apprehend and bring them to justice.
“As professionals, it is our conviction that the unprecedented and massive deployment of police resources and men to support search and rescue operations put pressure on the criminals to release the elder statesman.”
On the payment of ransom: “As a law enforcement agency guided by rule of law and professional ethics, we do not under any circumstance encourage the payment of ransom to kidnappers or other criminals.
“Whatever the family did as regards payment of ransom was outside the knowledge and consent of the police and at this point, we wish to advise that in future, families who fall victims of such acts should rather work closely with the police component of the rescue initiative so that we can achieve the primary purpose of rescuing the victim alive.”
Support for Arase
A non-governmental organisation, Free Society Nigeria, has condemned the incessant kidnaps in the country.
A statement by its Media and Public Affairs Director, Demola Williams, said it was sure that “with the current policing strategies being deployed by the Inspector General, Solomon Arase, the nation would soon overcome kidnapping”.
The statement said: “We sympathise with the Falae family for the trauma it went through.
“We, however, wish to call on Nigerians to cooperate with the police so that collectively we can stamp this menace out of our society.
“We, particularly, wish to condemn attempts by some persons and groups to blame the Akure incident on the IG. We dare say this because, from our enquiries with the police, Arase never supported nor paid any ransom and was not aware that any ransom was paid to Falae’s kidnappers.
“We found out that the IG relocated to Ondo State with his team to track down Falae’s abductors as his responsibility demands and in obedience to the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari.”
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