The Lagos State Police Command on Monday announced the arrest of 10 suspected kidnappers, who allegedly kidnapped a Nigerian and a Chinese national for a ransom of N8.5 million.
Taiwo Aduloju and Ufot Akanyene were until their arrest workers at ZTE Nigeria Limited, Osborne Estate, Ikoyi Lagos State and they both connived with eight others to kidnap one of the company’s foreign nationals, Kuangi Vingun According to the Commissioner, Lagos State Police Command, Umar Manko, two of the suspects were arrested on July 3, 2013 in connection with the kidnapping of one Kingsley Ifeanyi and Kauang Yingjun, senior employees of ZTE Nigeria Limited, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
Manko said: “After the arrest of the two suspects and their confession to the Special Ant-Robbery Squad, eight others were arrested. All the suspects confessed to have collected N8.5 million ransom.
“One of the suspect, simply identified as Akaniyene, an employee of ZTE, who resides at the Boys Quarters of the company, where the company is located, confessed to have given information that led to the kidnap of Yingjun.
“He claimed he was given N700,000 from the ransom collected. During a search of the residence of the gang’s armourer, two locally made double barrel pistols and 18 cartridges were recovered.
“The hideout they use for keeping kidnapped victims at Epe had been identified and searched.”
The suspects are: Aduloju Taiwo, 33, leader, Jimoh Olalere, 40, Rotimi Shegede, 25, Michael Sunday, 25, Chigozie Ideh, 32, Adeyinka Jagbojagbo,38, Kabiru Jagbojagbo, 30, Adeshina Mutiu, 28, Ope Dada, 25 and Ufot Akaniyene, 30 One of the suspects, Taiwo, 33, claimed he was a driver hiring vehicles for the ZTE Company for about two years.
Taiwo said that the gang decided to kidnap the victims due to the maltreatment they were giving to Nigerians in the company.
His words: “The way they were maltreating we blacks (Nigerians) in the company was bad. They sacked one old man of about 70 years after he had worked for about six years with them. They did not pay him any money until we protested. Then they gave him N15,000.
“I discussed the issue with one of the suspects, who told me that they had been thinking of what to do. We decided that we would kidnap the victims and beat them up.
“One of the suspects suggested that we should kidnap them and make money out of it. We agreed on the money and we collected N8.5 million. I got N1.5 million as my share.”
The Lagos police boss said that Aduloju and Jimoh were arrested around Elemoro in connection with the kidnap of one Kingsley Ifeanyi , whose relatives had paid N500,000 ransom.
The police chief, who was against ransom payment to kidnappers, insisted that such payment was the staying power of kidnappers.
Investigations by the police at the Special Anti Robbery Squad of the state command, led by Abba Kyari, the officer in charge of SARS, revealed that the gang had in the past been operating along the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
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