-From Crime Desk:

A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Delta State who was allegedly kidnapped at the weekend along the Benin-Asaba-Onitsha expressway has regained freedom after an alleged payment of N3 Million ransom.

But the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyinka Adeleke however denied the incident and the subsequent payment of ransom.

The victim whose name was simply given as Mr. Okoro is in charge of Galilee Police Station, Ute-Ogbeje community in Ika North East Local Government Area of the state.

An insider source at the state police command headquarters in Asaba told our correspondent that the victim was freed by his abductors after a ransom of N3 million was paid.

The said DPO was said to have been kidnapped between Onicha-Ugbo and Issele-Uku on the expressway last Friday by gunmen who shot sporadically before whisking him to unknown destination.

A police source who begged for anonimity revealed that the DPO was on his way to Asaba for official assignment when the hoodlums swooped on him.

He was said to have regained his freedom on Sunday after the negotiated ransom was dropped at a designated location for the abductors to grab.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adeyinka Adeleke however denied the incident and the subsequent payment of ransom, saying that it was the DPO’s friend that was allegedly kidnapped on the fateful day.

Adeleke who said he was in touch with the DPO, added that the police will never encourage anybody to pay ransom for their kidnapped friend or relative to be freed.