Kidnappers now disguise as beggars to abduct victims

A member of a gang of kidnappers arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos State Police Command, on Tuesday, said they used different tricks, including posing as beggars, to distract their potential victims before kidnapping them.

Emeka Agbaji was nabbed with Emmanuel Omoseni and Michael Edom after abducting two friends – Samsudeen Olatunde and Daramola Bisoye- along Lekki-Epe Expressway, in Ajah

Agbaji, a 31-year- old man, said the first step in their modus operandi was to get their potential victim to relax.

According to him, the element of surprise always worked in their favour.

He explained that one of them disguised as a beggar on the day they were arrested after kidnapping the two friends.

Agbaji said the victims had parked their vehicle in order to urinate when the ‘beggar’ approached them and started asking for money. He added that the distraction aided the gang to abduct them.

He said, “The victims had alighted from a vehicle along the Lekki-Epe Expressway to urinate. One of our gang members, who disguised as a beggar, asked one of them to give him money. Out of sympathy, the driver gave him N100 and he prostrated in gratitude.

“As the driver wanted to enter the car, he (the beggar) started dragging the door with the driver. In the confusion, we came out with guns and kidnapped them.”

The seven-man syndicate said to have been on the wanted list of the Area ‘J’ Command, Elemoro, for about a year, reportedly met their waterloo following intelligence report from the area command, consequent upon which a joint team of operatives from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja and men of the Area ‘J’ Command led by the Area Commander, Mr Felix Vwamhi, reportedly stormed the kidnappers’ den, an uncompleted building located in an area popularly known as General Paint in Alasia, Ajah.

Sighting the policemen, the kidnappers reportedly opened fire that triggered a gun duel.

Police sources said: “During the hot exchange of fire, two members of the gang, one of them later discovered to be the gang leader, identified simply as Akpos and his second in command, Michael Chinedu Edom, were fatally wounded.

“They were arrested while five others escaped with minor bullet wounds and one of the guns used by Akpos was recovered including 20 live cartridges.

“Efforts to revive Akpos to enable police use him to get the fleeing gang members failed but “Michael survived and was used to track down two other members, Emmanuel Omoseni and Emeka Agbaji, who have made confessional statements.