Men from the Ogun State Police Command have rescued a suspected internet scammer, Haruna Usman, kidnapped by his colleagues for withholding the proceeds of his crime.

Our correspondent deduced that the kidnapped scammer allegedly released N2,200,000 to other members of his syndicate out of N26,437,950 allegedly obtained from a victim in the state.

The amount stolen by the suspect represents 91.7% of the total amount.

State Police Public Relations Officer SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement on Thursday, said that the four suspected Internet scammers, also known as the Yahoo Boys, were arrested on Monday.

He said the suspects, Agbe Simeon, Messiah Nicky, Oladapo Dolapo and Yetunde Shonola, were arrested in Orile Imo village in the Obafemi Owode local government area of ​​the state.

The PPRO said his arrest followed a tip received by police at the Owode Egba division headquarters that Usman was abducted last Thursday.

Oyeyemi said: “Following the information, the DPO, Owode-Egba division, CSP Popoola Olasunkanmi, quickly mobilized their men and stormed the area, where four of the kidnappers were detained while two others escaped.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim and the suspects belong to an internet fraud syndicate, and they recently scammed someone whose identity is still unknown for the sum of N26,437,950, but the victim only handed over the sum of N2,200,000 to his colleagues, alleging that the money had not been paid in full by his client.

“This angered his colleagues, who then lured him to a herbalist’s home in Orile-Imo and held him hostage there from Thursday, December 22, 2022, threatening to kill him if he refused to give them his full share.

“But while they were there, the information reached the police, who went in, rescued the victim and detained four of the kidnappers, while others escaped.”

Oyeyemi said state Police Commissioner Lanre Bankole had ordered the suspects transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department’s anti-kidnapping unit for further investigation and possible prosecution.