Pregnant Woman's Perilous Ordeal: Kidnapping Nightmare in Lagos

In a shocking incident, a gang of kidnappers in Lagos, Nigeria, abducted an oil magnate and forced his heavily pregnant wife to travel over 300 kilometers to deliver the ransom.

The incident took place a few months ago in the Ajah suburb of Lagos. The oil magnate was at his dredging site when a six-man armed gang abducted him and escaped through the waterways to the creeks in Ondo State. During the abduction, the kidnappers shot sporadically into the air to scare off any potential witnesses.

Desperate Attempt to Escape

While being transported, the hostage managed to jump from the "flying boat" into the river in a desperate attempt to escape. However, the kidnappers quickly caught up with him and whisked him away to their stronghold in the Ikorodu area of Lagos. The kidnappers then transferred the victim from the flying boat into a wooden canoe to access the creek.

Ransom Demand and Negotiation

The kidnappers only allowed the victim to make contact with his family on the third day of the ordeal, at which point they demanded a ransom of 200 million Nigerian naira (approximately $500,000 at the time). The family was able to raise 42 million naira (around $105,000) and converted it to U.S. dollars as requested by the kidnappers.

When the victim's elder brother volunteered to deliver the ransom, the kidnappers insisted that the victim's wife must personally make the delivery. Desperate pleas from the heavily pregnant woman, who was on the verge of giving birth, were ignored by the kidnappers, who threatened to kill her husband if she failed to comply.

Tortuous Journey to Deliver Ransom

The next day, the victim's wife, accompanied by a driver, set off from their home in Ajah. The kidnappers directed them to move towards Ore, about 167 kilometers from Lagos. As the journey progressed, the kidnappers continued to monitor the movement and issue orders on where to stop and proceed.

The route became a confusing and tortuous one, with the kidnappers directing the victims to turn back and stop at Sagamu, then return to Ajah, and then back to Sagamu. In total, the pregnant woman and her driver traveled over 334 kilometers, with the kidnappers constantly warning them not to engage the police, threatening to kill the victims if they did.

Finally, the ordeal ended around Odogbolu in Ogun State, where the victims were directed to stop and trek through a bush path for about 20 minutes to drop the ransom. After this, they were instructed to race back to the road without looking back, as three heavily armed men were watching.

Victim's Ordeal and Police Investigation

Fortunately, when the pregnant woman and her driver returned to their home in Ajah, the victim had already been released in another riverside area in Epe, where he had found his way home. He reported that the kidnappers had taken his valuable possessions, including a gold necklace worth 25 million naira, a gold hand chain worth 11.8 million naira, and two gold rings worth 3.4 million naira.

The victim's family had initially reported the kidnapping to the police but failed to keep the detectives informed of their efforts to pay the ransom. Upon learning about the incident, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, directed his technical team, led by CSP Kehinde Oni, to investigate the case and arrest the perpetrators.

Arrest and Confessions of the Suspects

After a series of intelligence-gathering and operations, the police were able to arrest three suspects: Adelaja Ikuesan (37), Tosin Oke (40), and Oluwabunmi Yusuf (39). The suspects confessed to their involvement in the kidnapping and the subsequent division of the loot.

Ikuesan, a professional speedboat driver, revealed that he owned two "flying boats" and had known the other suspects through their involvement in bunkering, which is the illegal siphoning of petroleum products from vandalized pipelines. He stated that they had met in a hotel in Ajegunle three weeks before the operation to finalize their plans.

During the kidnapping, two of the gang members were armed with AK-47s, and they had taken the victim's valuables before transporting him to the creeks. Ikuesan claimed that he had left the other suspects with "Old Soldier" (Tosin Oke) and returned to Apapa, benefiting from both the sale of the gold chains and the ransom payment.

Oke, also known as "Old Soldier," admitted to his involvement in the crime and the use of the ransom money to address his family problems. However, he denied building a mansion in the Badagry area of Lagos solely from the proceeds of his criminal activities, stating that he had erected it with some members of his family.

The third suspect, Adelaja, revealed that Oke had collected the hand chain stolen from the victim and sold it, sending a total of 400,000 naira to Adelaja. Adelaja said he used his share of the ransom to buy a new boat.

All three suspects expressed remorse for their actions and claimed they would never engage in criminal activities again if given the chance.