Otedola's Kidnap: NSCDC accuses Police of sabotage, jealousy, blackmail

The inter-agency rivalry between the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC took a dramatic twist yesterday as Oyo State Command of the Corps denied a police report claiming one of its personnel, Kayode Adeyemi, was behind attempts by a three-man gang to kidnap business mogul, Femi Otedola.

While the NSCDC denied having such a person on its staff nominal roll, it accused the police of overtly given to “sabotage, blackmail and jealousy.”

According to the corps, Oyo State Police Command which effected the arrest of Mr Adeyemi, never bothered to cross-check the suspect’s claims with the NSCDC, despite the closeness in location between the offices of both organizations.

The NSCDC, since its establishment over a decade ago, had had a frosty relationship with the police, a development often leading to violent and fatal altercations in some instances. Only last week, the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, met with the management team of the two agencies, urging them to work in close synergy to stamp out crime.

“Oyo State of the Command of the Corps, hereby, states categorically that the acclaimed Inspector of the Corps, Kayode Adeyemi, was not a personnel of the Corps, as the Corps has gone through the list of personnel serving with the command and his name was neither in the nominal roll nor the payroll.

‘’He was not at anytime a personal assistant to the state commandant.

It has to be put on record that Oyo State Police Command that effected the arrest of the suspects never contacted the NSCDC command to verify the authenticity of the claim by the suspect, Kayode Adeyemi, on whether he is a personnel or not, in spite of the closeness of the two command offices.

“Furthermore, the view of the suspect concerning how they get information to attack their victim is entirely his and the NSCDC should not be associated with such a nefarious activity, as the Corps cannot allow its name to be dragged in the mud,’’ Oluwole Olusegun, the Command’s Public Relations Officer said in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday.