Contrary to the public posturing that no ransom was paid in the abduction of Senator Iyabo Anisulowo, a sum of N10million was offered to secure the release of the former Minister of State for Education, it was learnt.
The ransom was an undercover strategy used to bait the suspected kidnappers who eventually played into the hands of security agencies.
This came as the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, disclosed that four more suspects had been arrested in connection with the abduction of Anisulowo.
The latest arrest increased to six the number of those already in police custody over the crime.
The 65-year-old former minister was kidnapped penultimate Wednesday while returning from her farm in Sawonjo, Yewa North Local Government Area of the state.
But following interagency collaboration and deployment of intelligence, Anisulowo was rescued on Tuesday evening at Gbegbelawo village, near Olorunda town in Yewa North Local Government Area.
Addressing the officers and men of the police who participated in the rescue operation, Ali said the kingpin of the kidnapping syndicate was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, La-gos while trying to flee to Dubai in the United Arab Emirate (UAE).
The other major suspect, the commissioner revealed, was arrested in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
He added that the four new suspects were apprehended in Okeho town in Oyo State as well as at the farm of the abducted exminister.
The commissioner said that other members of the kidnapping syndicate would be arrested as they had been terrorising the South-West for a very long time.
He, however, insisted that no ransom was paid to secure freedom for Anisulowo.
He urged members of the public to always have confidence in security inagencies and shun the act of paying ransom to kidnappers, stressing that such would discourage kidnapping in the country.
Findings revealed that the sum of N10million was paid as ransom to the kidnappers before their ring was busted.
Governor Ibikunle Amosun had on Tuesday stated that the kidnappers raised the ransom from N100 million to N200 million because of his involvement in the search.
However, dependable security sources said that money actually exchanged hands, leading to the arrest of the suspected kidnappers.
The source, who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, said N10 million ransom was paid after negotiation between security agents and the suspects.
The governor was said to have opposed the payment of ransom.
But the family of Anisulowo contemplated paying the ransom after about four days when the ex-minister was not freed by her abductors, it was learnt.
A security source said the N10 million ransom was eventually agreed upon and the money proved to be the bait which law enforcement agents used to effect the arrest and subsequent release of Anisulowo.
Efforts to get the reaction of Senator Anisulowo failed as she was said to be sleeping when newsmen visited her Ilaro residence.
But when contacted yesterday, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, denied that no ransom was paid to the kidnappers.
Adejobi said: “It is not true; no kobo was paid as ransom. It is true that the police negotiated. But the more we called them to negotiate, the more we were tracking them.”
