Chief Yusuf Ogundele, the Baale of Shangisha in Magodo, who faked his own kidnap has been suspended by the Lagos State Government.
His suspension was ordered by the Executive Governor of the State, Akinwumi Ambode.
In a memo with reference number OLGAS.83/S./Vol.1 dated July 13, 2017, addressed to the Sole Administrator of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA and signed by the State’s Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Teslim Folami, Mr. Ambode directed Mr. Ogundare to stop parading himself henceforth as the Baale of the community till further notice.
Mr. Ogundare’s suspension was approved by the governor moments after the Lagos State Police Command paraded him alongside his younger brother, Mohammed Adams, for conspiring to fake the alleged kidnap.
Mr. Adams, on a fateful day, reported the alleged kidnap incident to the police.
The alleged fake kidnapping took place on July 5 along Centre for Management Development, CMD, Road in Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area, LCDA, of the State.
Fatai Owoseni, the Lagos State Police Commissioner said while parading them before newsmen that the Command on July 5 received the report of Mr. Ogundare’s alleged kidnap, and immediately swung into action in collaboration with other security agencies especially the Department of State Service, DSS.
According to him, luck, however, ran out on Mr. Ogundare when he was apprehended by men of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS in Alausa area of the State on July 11 after he was dropped in a suspicious manner by a car which sped off immediately.
He said, “On July 11 at about 10 p.m., a team of RRS patrol officers working around Alausa had sighted a vehicle drop a male adult in a suspicious manner close by Shoprite along the Secretariat road.
“The speed with which that car drove off attracted them to that spot and fortunately before they got to the spot, the car had taken off and a quick enquiry revealed that it was the Baale that was allegedly kidnapped.
“Immediately afterwards while Ogundare was being debriefed, he sold a dummy that the kidnappers dropped him off but unknowingly to him, it had been found out that on the 5th of July, the day he was allegedly kidnapped in Lagos, investigation had revealed that he was driving around in Ibadan around Ashi; he went to Ilorin, he went to Iwo, he was just on a frolic.
“And unknowingly to him as well, his younger brother and his wife were being questioned and were actually in custody because of some discrepancies that were noticed in the interaction they had with security agencies, and in furtherance of the synergy existing between the Police and DSS, we jointly compared notes and our findings were such that the act of the chief was despicable and amounted to crying wolf where there is none.”
Owoseni said that Mr. Adams had earlier told security agencies that he was with the Baale at CMD Hotel when some people who claimed they wanted to buy land whisked them away and later dropped him.
But investigation, the commissioner said, revealed that he (Mr. Adams) was not at any time in the hotel with the Baale but was only at the restaurant of the hotel, and after some minutes left. The police said the wife of the Baale actually drove the Venza car allegedly used to abduct her spouse.
The police commissioner said the suspects confessed to the crime after interrogation.
Press Release