The killers of the Retired Army General turned monarch, Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, Olukoro of Koro Ekiti in Ekiti local government area of Kwara state have been begged to accept N40M from the N100M demanded as ransom to release the wife and one other victim in their captivity, while negotiations are still ongoing.
Also, one suspect has been reportedly arrested in connection with the incident, though the police have yet to confirm it.
Recall that the monarch was killed on Thursday evening in his palace while his wife and one other lady were abducted.
Chairman of the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) in Ekiti local government Council of Kwara state, Chief Kehinde Bayode who spoke with journalists in Ilorin on Sunday said that one suspect has been apprehended in Eruku in the Local Government area on Sunday.
He also hinted at the ongoing negotiations with the kidnappers to release the victims.
He said, “The arrested suspect was found with foreign currency and I had got in touch with the DPO in the area not to release the suspect.”
Bayode while speaking on efforts made to get the abducted wife of the Monarch and the lady held with her freed said that “the kidnappers had got in touch with the family demanding for N100 million ransom which has now been reduced to N40 million. We are still negotiating with them and right now, I’m on my way to Koro to get the latest information on the negotiation. We will continue to brief you as the situation unfolds and we will keep you posted.”
However, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Kwara Command, Ejire-Adeyemi Adetoun DSP did not confirm the arrest of any suspect adding that no arrest had been made in connection with the incident.
“The CP has deployed a tactical team to Koro Ekiti to fish out the perpetrators. Policemen are working with other security agencies to free those who were abducted during the kidnapping incident. No arrests have been made yet. We are going to keep you abreast of the development as it unfolds.