Amotekun arrests gambler who staged kidnapping to avoid debt

The Ogun Amotekun Corps has detained a 41-year-old man named Enitan Awoyemi on suspicion of planning his kidnapping as a way to avoid paying off his debt.

On Wednesday, the suspect—a resident of Irolu-Remo in Ogun State’s Ikenne Local Government Area—was taken into custody.

This was stated in a communiqué that was acquired in Abeokuta and signed by Corps Commander Alade Adedigba.

According to Adedigba, Mrs. Tope Awoyemi, Awoyemi’s wife, revealed that the suspect was allegedly abducted on November 10 at the Amotekun Irolu outpost.

According to the complainant, who was cited by Adedigba, her husband had contacted her and claimed to have been abducted the day before by unknown men who demanded a ransom of N5 million to free him.

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After receiving the report, the Amotekun Intelligence team launched an investigation. The inquiry’s conclusions showed that Enitan Awoyemi had accrued a whopping one million naira in debt from playing in a lottery game.

Awoyemi, a frequent participant of the game, previously earned 6 million naira from it. He used some of his winnings to buy a Bajaj Boxer motorcycle and a Toyota Corolla Sport automobile for business use. When he was unable to pay back his obligations, he allegedly turned to making up a kidnapping story, he said.

According to the commander, the suspect was located in Ijagba town and then Ota in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area thanks to the cooperation of the Vigilantes Group of Nigeria, VGN, and other community partners.

“He was eventually taken into custody at Irolu Okada Park in the early hours of November 13, 2024, while the Amotekun officers were conducting routine patrol operations,” he stated.

Adedigba claimed that Amotekun agents noticed a “strong smell of insecticide from him after his arrest, raising concerns about an attempted suicide.”

He claimed that the suspect received prompt medical assistance after being taken to Rufina Private Hospital in Iperu.

The Amotekun chief stated, “The Amotekun Corps is dedicated to taking the required action, and once Enitan Awoyemi is released from the hospital, he will be turned over to the police in Ilisan for further proceedings.”

He reiterated the Amotekun Corps’ commitment to upholding law and order, exposing corrupt practices, and safeguarding the citizens of Ogun State.