64-year-old Suspected Kidnapper, Others Nabbed Waiting to Collect N150m Ransom in Lagos
- Three suspects said to have been linked to the abduction of a boy in the Oniru area of Lagos have been arrested
- One of the suspects, a 64-year-old man, Kwesi Samuel, is an employee of the victim’s mother who pretended to have been kidnapped upon arrest
- The police command in Lagos said the the suspects were arrested while they were waiting for a ransom of N150 million for the victim
Lagos – The police command in Lagos has arrested three suspects, including a 64-year-old driver, Kwasi Samuel, over the kidnapping of a 10-year-old boy from his parents’ residence in Millionaires Estate in the Oniru area of the state.
Other suspects arrested alongside Samuel are Unwachukeu Monday (24) and Freeman Ekpebo.
It was learnt that Samuel, who worked for the victim’s mother, was alleged to have instigated the abduction.
The suspect is an employee of the young victim’s mother
(Photo: @PoliceNG/X)Source: Facebook
Daily Trust reports that the suspects had demanded the payment of a N150m ransom but that they were tracked to their hideouts in two hotels in the Ijanikin area of Lagos. But upon suspects’ Samuel pretended to have been kidnapped along with the victim.
According to the spokesman of the command, Umma Ayuba, the arrest followed a complaint received by the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Zone 2, Olatoye Durosinmi, from the victim’s parents.
Ayuba explained that on March 26, 2024, at about 6am a resident of Millionaires Estate reported the kidnap of her son, maid and driver.
He disclosed that a team of detectives led by CSP Tijjani Taofiq swiftly utilised tracking techniques which exposed the kidnappers’ den in the Ayetoro area of Ijanikin along the Badagry Expressway.
“On March 28, 2024, at 3:40pm officers raided the hideout at Cozzy Hotel, Ijanikin, where one of the suspects, Nnachukwu Monday, was arrested and the victims rescued.
“In a coordinated operation, Mr Samuel Kwasi, the driver, and one Freeman Ekpebo, were apprehended at Sun Era Hotel, Ijanikin, where they were waiting to receive the ransom. Investigation revealed Mr Kwasi to be the mastermind of the kidnap.
“Mr Kwasi has confessed to demobilising the car’s tracking device before the operation. The car’s tracking device and a knife were recovered from the hotel room at Sun Era Hotel where the suspects were lodged.”
“I Was Threatened with Arrest for Paying Ransom to Kidnappers to Release My Brother”: Lawyer Reacts
A young man whose brother was recently kidnapped shared his experience.
He said:
“My brother was kidnapped in December 2023. We reported the matter to the police, but the officers could not help rescue him.
“I had no choice but to resort to the desperate measure of paying the required ransom (against the directives of the police) because the abductors had kept my brother for 10 days without providing him any food…”
Source: TheTalk.NG
