By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos.
No fewer than four suspected kidnappers and 33 armed robbery suspects have been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command in the last one month.
Also, four other suspected kidnappers lost their lives in s gun battle with police detectives under the same period.
The Commissioner of Police Lagos, command Fatai Owoseni made the disclosure yesterday, while updating journalists on the breakthrough recorded by the command between 18th of November to 18th December, 2016.
Owoseni disclosed that two out of the suspected kidnappers, were members of a kidnapping syndicate that kidnapped a Nigerian doctor at an hospital in Onikan area of Lagos Island recently.
He added that the suspects were arrested in Delta state by operatives of the command, following intelligence and scientific approach.
Furthermore, Owoseni said the suspects led detectives to a forest where the doctor was successfully rescued by them.
According to the police boss, four other suspects lost their lives in an exchange of gun battle with the police during the operation, a vehicle used in kidnapping the doctor and a Beretta pistol were recovered from them.
The two others, according to Owoseni, were apprehended by the operatives, with the assistance of residents, following intelligence report at the early hours of yesterday in a notorious forest tagged ” White Sand”, a swampy part of Lagos that stretches from Isheri-osun to Festac town and Amuwo Odofin creek.
He hinted that the suspects had found the forest as a comfort zone and converted it to their hidden place.
In a related development, the police commissioner said a kidnap attempt of one Toyosi Akerele, a presenter of a programme called “Arise” was foiled by police operatives under the period review.
“On the 14th of December, 2016 Toyosi Akerele, the presenter of Arise, some kidnappers on a bike snatched her where she parked to make a shopping while she was in the car and drove her off, she was smart enough to jump out of the car and called the police. Policemen responded swiftly, foiled the kidnap bid and recovered the car”, Owoseni narrated.
On the 33 armed robbery suspects, he said they were arrested in different part of the state while dispossessing their victims of their valuables under gun point.
The police commissioner identified two of the suspects to include one Obinna and Kelvin Ogia.
He disclosed that Obinna, with others at large, had robbed a Chinese national of one million naira along Oshodi expressway, while Kelvin connived with others to kidnap and also robbed his boss of one million naira.
Kelvin, a driver, who was traced to Edo state, according to Owoseni had conspired with others and tricked his boss, a caterer that they had a contract for him.
“Kelvin called his boss on phone and tricked him that they have a contract for him. Upon meeting with them at Unilag area of Akoka, they kidnapped and drove him round Lagos before ordering to go and withdraw the sum of One million naira as ransom before they would release him. They followed him to a bank where he withdrew the money with his ATM card and gave to them before his release”, he explained.
He added that the suspect also went away with his victim’s Camry XLE saloon car, with registration number MUS 663 EG, but later changed it to GUE 271LV.
The suspect, who was paraded along others, confessed to the crime in a chat with journalists, admitting that he was lured into the act by a friend he identified simply as Andrew (a.k.a Warri).
