Hyacinth Chinweuba
Police operatives from the Anti-kidnapping Unit Lagos State Command have frustrated attempts by kidnappers, who abducted a 17-year old boy and negotiated N10 million ransom before they were smashed and the victim rescued.
Oriental News Nigeria reports that the incident happened at Epe area of Lagos, where the victim, Salisu Ibrahim, was kept in captivity inside the forest for eight days.
However, the kidnappers ran out of luck and five of them were arrested while negotiating for ransom and the victim was also rescued unhurt.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu, who paraded the suspects with other criminal suspects arrested across the State at Police headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos undergoing interrogation over the alleged offence.
He said on 9th May, 2020, Epe Police Station received a complaint that, one Salisu Mohammed ‘m’ 17, was kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination by a group of kidnappers numbering about five while he was sleeping at the cattle rearing centre, Epe.
The kidnappers having kept the victim in captivity, established contact with the family and demanded the sum of N10,000,000.00 as ransom.
The Police boss said the Command’s Anti-kidnapping team was promptly deployed to Epe with directive to fish out the kidnappers and rescue the victim.
He said that the victim was rescued unhurt on the 13th May, 2020, inside a thick forest within Epe without payment of ransom. All the suspects were arrested.
They are Umaru Abdullahi ‘m’; Majuba Mohammed ‘m’; Aliyu Alhamajo ‘m’; Mohammed Umaru ‘m’; and Shehu Malami ‘m’.
They all confessed to the crime and will be charged before the Court after the conclusion of investigations as CP Odumosu stated.