Men of the Kwara Police Command have arrested 10 armed robbery suspects while attempting to withdraw a ransom paid into a bank account by a victim.

The State Police spokesman, Mr Kayode Fabode told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Sunday that three of them were inter-state robbers terrorising the people.

Fabode said that three suspects identified as Akowe Bright, Asa Olufemi and Jubilee Boya, were arrested at a motor park in Omu-Aran, Irepodun local government area while two were nabbed in connection with two stolen cars and a blackberry phone in Ilorin.

He further said that two other suspects were apprehended at Eiyekorin, Ilorin, with one Honda CRV vehicle marked Lagos FM 666 LND and a blackberry telephone and two others arrested in connection with the car theft along Ekiti-Osi-Eruku road, a boundary town between Kwara and Kogi states.

According to Fabode, the 10th robbery suspect identified as Chigozie Ogbonna of Taiwo Isale area Ilorin was arrested in Abia state in June by the police, while attempting to withdraw a ransom paid into a bank account by a robbery victim.

Fabode told NAN that the victim had earlier been attacked on June 1, at about 0740hrs, at Gaa-Akanbi Area of Ilorin by six suspected armed hoodlums operating with a Honda Element Jeep.

He said that she was dispossessed of her vehicleat gunpoint and thereafter taken away with her children in the same vehicle to Ilorin-Ogbomosho old road where they were dropped on the road.

The suspects were alleged to have made away with her vehicle and one GSM handset among other valuables.

"Some days after the incident on June 7, one of the suspected armed robbers called the victim's husband on phone to demand for a ransom of N400,000 for the release of his wife's stolen vehicle.

"The suspect followed up his demand with text messages threatening to further deal with the complainant's family, if they failed to meet up with their demand.

"However, on the instruction of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives investigating the case, the complainant played along with the suspect.

"And the sum of N100,000 was later agreed on by both parties, which was paid into the account number forwarded to the victim by the suspect.

"In the process of withdrawing the money from Aba in Abia state, a suspect, Chigozie Ogbonna, resident in Ilorin was arrested with his GSM cell phone which contains all the intimidating text messages he had sent to the victim.

The police spokesman said that a stolen vehicle was later recovered by the police from where it was abandoned in Oyo state.

He said that the arrested suspect would be charged to court accordingly while intensive efforts were still being made to arrest other suspects at large.