Man Recants Claim Of Kidnap By DSS, NSCDC Officers In Osun

A Bureau de Change Operator in Osogbo, Osun, who was reported to have been kidnapped at his office in the Sabo Area of Osogbo by some officers of the NSCDC and DSS, has allegedly recanted his kidnap claims.

According to information obtained from a DSS source, the Bureau de Change operator simply identified as Bala Zakariyau, said the security officers, who were reported to have kidnaped him, actually came to arrest him.

It was also learnt that the Bureau de Change operator was arrested by the security operators because of a deal involving a necklace he bought from a customer.

Zakariyau later reported to the police that the officers, led by his customer, kidnapped him and took some money from him, which prompted the police to go after the officers and arrested them, based on the complaint.

The source, however, said the DSS officer, reported to have been arrested in connection to the case, had been released on Saturday.

He said the DSS became aware their officer was in police custody since Dec. 28, when he could not be located during the service’s routine personnel check/count.

The source said efforts were made to get the arrested DSS officer released to the command but the police delayed his release before he was eventually release on Saturday, Jan. 8.

“The fact of the matter is, the officer accompany three NSCDC officers to effect an arrest in Sabo Area of Osogbo.

“It was a matter of a Bureau de Change operator buying a necklace from his customer and short paying him to the tune of N100,000.

“The Bureau de Change operator, after he was picked up, paid the balance of the money to the customer, who was with the operatives during the arrest, and he was thereafter released.

“It was however shocking and embarrassing when the police arrested the security personnel and the media started reporting that operatives of the DSS and NSCDC were arrested by the police for kidnapping a bureau de change operator.

“The DSS is known for its upright and honest dealings; trustworthy and very reliable operations and this kind of reports is unjustifiable and a smearing attack on the service, which is bad.” the source said

It will be recalls that during a police parade of suspects on Friday, the Osun Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, said a complainant, a Bureau de exchange operator said some men came to his officer with gun and whisked him away to the bush.

Olokode said the complainant claimed he was dispossessed of N204,000 and that the police have arrested some suspects in connection to the complaint made.

However, one of the suspect the police paraded as being part of the kidnap operation, Akeem Ogunibi, 42, told journalist when questioned that others arrested with him are NSCDC and DSS officers.