Squabble over loot sharing exposes Lagos kidnappers

More revelations have come up on how dispute over the sharing formula gave out a gang of kidnappers who allegedly kidnapped one Eddy Ikhile and held him hostage until he made a ransom of N210,000.


Ikhile was allegedly kidnapped opposite Air Force Base, Ikeja, while returning from Country Club on Wednesday March 24, 2010, at about 11.30p.m. and brought to 1 Jebba Street, Ebute Metta, Oyinbgo, where he was held hostage until about 8.30p.m. the following night after he had earlier paid the ransom through cheque.

Tijani Rasheed, Ayilara Azeez, Babatunde Idris, Sanusi Yusuf, Tunde Mayowa, Shola Aluko and Idowu Fatuashe allegedly kidnapped him in the presence of his driver, who masterminded the crime.

The bubble bust when the hoodlums started fighting as some of them felt they were shortchanged during the sharing.

During the brawl, information got to the police that some group of hoodlums were sharing money and were equally fighting over it at Jebba Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos.

Initial information on Ikhile’s ordeal had indicated that he was in his vehicle, Mazda 626 saloon car marked ET 856 LSR when the incident happened. His driver, it was gathered, pretended the car was faulty. As he was trying to start it, four hoodlums entered his vehicle, held him hostage and brought him to Ebute-Metta where they demanded N50million before his release.

Immediately the tip on the feuding kidnappers was received, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Denton Police Division, Sanni Mohammed, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) dispatched a team of Anti-Robbery Squad led by Sergeant Akeem Lawal to the scene.

On getting to the scene, the team arrested Saheed Tijani, Akintunde Moyowa , Ayilara Azeez , Yusus Sanusi and Babatunde Idris, the suspects. They confessed to the crime leading to the arrest of the driver of the victim, one Aluko Ishola, who according to the suspects brought the job to them, because the victim refused to give him money.

Ishola, the driver, was employed by Ikhile, the victim. He planned for the kidnap of his boss on the allegation that he refused to give him money.

Upon perfection of their crime, they drove the victim from GRA Ikeja to Jebba Street where he was kept till March 25, 2010, at about 8p.m. before he was finally released after he had paid the sum of N210,000.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the first suspect received the sum of N95,000 and was to pay the sixth and seventh suspects.

While the second and fifth suspects received the sum of N10,000 each. The fourth received the sum of N15,000 while the sixth collected the sum of N20,000.

Police detectives, during investigation, were said to have searched their houses and premises but found nothing incriminating.

Their statements were said to have been taken under caution and they volunteered their statements without duress to the police.

It was also revealed that the victim’s handset and jewellery were taken from him by the suspects.

After the investigation police established that in view of the available facts and the confessional statements made by the suspects, an offence of kidnapping and robbery of one Eddy Ikhile had been committed and strongly recommended a charge of kidnapping and robbery against the suspects to serve as a deterrent to others and to prevent other persons within Lagos metropolis from committing similar offence.

The suspects were paraded by the Police Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Superintendent of Police before they were charged to court. The victim of the kidnap was also at the occasion of the parade where he narrated his ordeal in the hands of his captors.

His surprise was that his driver whom he had taken and treated like his son was a member of the gang that kidnapped him.

He narrated how he was even making payment through his driver to his captors who hid him in a room after the kidnap.

According to Ikhile, it was on Wednesday March 24, 2010, he left with his driver around 10 o’clock and later when his driver was taking him home, he suddenly stopped on the road, and he (victim) saw one boy who said he wanted to help them. He said that he told the boy not to worry and asked his driver that he would call his mechanic.

“All of a sudden my driver started the car again, then all of them ran out and squeezed themselves into the car. They said I should cooperate. I asked them that what happened that I should cooperate. They took me through Oshodi, I knew when we passed Oshodi, but thereafter I did not know where they took me. Not until they released me that I knew I was in Ebute Metta area,” he recalled.

He recalled that that same night, they asked him to call his son, stressing that they needed N50million.

“I told them I was a retired trade unionist and had nothing. I had no pension, but they said I was telling lies. By the time they were negotiating, I called all my sons, and told them what I was facing. So they started negotiating with my son. They said they wanted N50million. They negotiated to N5million but my son said he had no money, and they asked if he wanted them to waste his father. I told them that they couldn’t waste me, that I was a child of God. They took everything I had from me. They removed my necklace, but I told them that if they didn’t return it, they would receive the repercussion. So they quickly gave it back to me. So after the negotiation, that same morning, they told me to give them N20,000. I said I did not have N20,000 but would give them N10,000. I asked them how they could get it.”

Ikhile stated that they told him to put his driver’s name on the chequebook and luckily he had his cheque in the car.

“I brought the cheque, I wrote my driver’s name, and they took my driver to the bank and collected the money. When they collected the money, they came back and the negotiation continued. Them my son said he had paid N150,000. I told them that I would make it up to N450,000, pledging to give them N200,000. I wrote the cheque of N200,000,” he narrated.

The victim said that they went again with his driver to cash the money. According to him, “When they came as God would have it, God actually descended on them. They had misunderstanding and they were quarrelling. They said the money was not enough. I said don’t worry, I will give you additional N100,000. So in the morning, when they were taking me to freedom, one of them raised alarm that the money given to him was too small.”

He said that he did not know that his driver was behind the kidnap. “When I was begging them, I told them not to harm my driver, because he was like a son to me. I gave him two-year free accommodation. Everyday I gave him N200 at times N500 and when he had an issue, I helped him. I did naming ceremony of his child for him. Even on Friday after the incident, as I was going to the office, I felt like giving him N5,000 to take care of himself. But I changed my mind and said when we get home,” Gabriel lamented. He said that it was when they were going home that the police came to him to ask of his driver. Subsequent developments gave out the driver as a member of the gang.

While advising other car or vehicle owners who have drivers, Ikhile said, “I will not tell anyone to be cruel to his driver, but if somebody wants to have a driver, he should be able to vet such a person and know the character he is employing. He should interview the driver properly, ensure there is a guarantor, if not, I think we are just at the mercy of God. He said he had just worked with his driver for a year.

Commenting on the incident, the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Superintendent of Police who paraded that suspects said that the incident was a case of blackmail and threat to life.

Mba, who said that the suspects would soon be arraigned before a competent court of law, noted that Lagos is too hot for kidnappers to actually operate, adding that what they are doing is a caricature of what kidnapping is all about.

“So what they do here is to engage in this subtle form of blackmail, threat and intimidation, but we must stand up against these bands of criminals. We must stand up against these extortionists, we must stand up against this form of intimidation and take advantage of the functional police department to ensure that we continue to arrest and bring this type of people to book. My commissioner of police had already said that they either repent or leave the state. The third option is actually not an option because we will continue to get hold of them and make them pay dearly for their crime.”