A criminal, Festus Abama, has been murdered by the counter grabbing agents of the Lagos State Police Command amid a weapon fight between the police and individuals from his hijack syndicate in the Agbowa region of Ikorodu.
The Lagos
State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, in a statement on Sunday,
said a member of the kidnap syndicate, Austine Ebimiyenwei, 27, was arrested,
adding that the police were making efforts to arrest other suspects, who fled
from the scene of the attack.
Oti said
the kidnappers, who had held captive the daughter of one Suleiman Ajumobi and the husband of one
Veronica Ewuru, had demanded N35m for the release of the victims, adding that
the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, had directed operatives
handling the matter to play along with the kidnappers in the interest of the
victims, who were still in captivity.
He said,
“The Anti-kidnapping Squad of the Lagos State Police Command, acting on the
directive of the command’s Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, on Friday,
November 23, 2018, around 11am, smashed a kidnappers’ syndicate at Agbowa,
Ikorodu, leading to the arrest of one Austine Ebimiyenwei, 27, a native of
Arogbo Azapa community of Ese-Odo LGA, Ondo State and the recovery of the
corpse of one Festus Abama, who died during an exchange of fire, while two
escaped with bullet wounds.
“The
command had earlier on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, and Friday, November 16,
2018, received two separate reports from one Suleiman Ajumobi and one Veronica
Ewuru about the kidnap of their daughter and husband, respectively. While
Suleiman Ajumobi reported that his seven-year-old daughter was kidnapped from
his house in his presence, Veronica Ewuru stated that her husband, Deputy Superintendent
of Police, Patrick Ewuru, a police officer attached to the Force Headquarters
Annex, Obalende, was kidnapped from their house in the night when the victim
came out to check on the power generating set that suddenly stopped working.
“The
kidnappers demanded ransom of N25m from Suleiman and N10m from the family of
DSP Patrick Ewuru, but later settled for N500,000 for both families. At this
point, the CP directed the operatives handling the matter to play along with
the kidnappers in the interest of the victims, who were still in captivity. As
soon as the release of the two victims was secured, the kidnappers’ hideout at
Agbowa was busted and the aforementioned kidnapper was killed in the ensuing
gun battle, while Austine Ebimiyenwei surrendered.”
Oti said the victims had identified Ebimiyenwei
and the deceased as those who kidnapped them, adding that Ebimiyenwei, who also
reportedly confessed to the crime,
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