Kowiyu, who said he recently returned to the state from Lagos, after he had completed learning tailoring, however, denied being an associate of the gang leader.
Oko’lu was on the wanted list of the police in the state for over five months before he was apprehended in August 2022 by the police.
Parading the suspect at the state command headquarters in Osogbo, police spokesperson in the state, Yemisi Opalola, said Kowiyu worked with Oko’lu before he fled the state to escape arrest.
Opalola said the suspect was however nabbed when he returned to Ede and visited Sagba Area, where Oko’lu had used as his base.
Also paraded were a hemp seller, Sodiq Adegoke and his accomplice, Opeyemi Abubakr, for extorting a student, Usu Joseph, of a sum of N150,000.
Giving the details of the offences committed by the suspects, Opalola said they seized Joseph and took him to a secluded area in Osogbo, where they made him transfer money into their account.
During an interview with our correspondent, Adegoke, who admitted committing the crime, however, said their victim was engaging in internet fraud popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo.’
He said, “We saw him (the victim) on Okada, along Dada Estate, Osogbo and we stopped the motorcycle. He is a ‘Yahoo Yahoo’ boy. I sat behind him on the same motorcycle. We went to the road along GRA, Osogbo. We didn’t take him to the forest.
“I checked his phone and in his account, there were alerts of N51,000 and N241,000. But he told us that he was not the owner of the N51,000. He told us N241,000 was his money. He begged us to collect only N100,000 but I said he should send N150,000 and he transferred the money. He transferred the money to Abubakr’s account. We have withdrawn N85,000 from the money. We didn’t use force on him. We only discussed it with him. I was led into committing this crime because I was not getting a job. I am a tailor.”
Opalola, who assured residents of their safety, also warned criminals to relocate from the state, as police would not allow them to operate.
She said the suspects would be arraigned after an investigation into their various crimes had been completed.
