By Evelyn Usman

Attempt by six suspected kidnapers, among them, a female, to abduct a senior staff of an oil company in Lagos has been foiled by operatives of the State Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja.

Surprisingly, the female accomplice was discovered to be housemaid to the man that was to be abducted.

Investigation by the operatives showed that the lady identified as Chinasa Ozoemena, disclosed the financial status of her boss first to her boyfriend, one Okoye Raphael, who on his part contacted other members.

The kidnappers, as gathered, held five meetings on how to abduct their victim, Mr Ike Azota. It was learn t that during the meetings, they deliberated extensively on whether to pose as visitors, or to wait for their victim while he would either be leaving or returning from his Surulere office.

However at a point, they decided they needed a gun with which to threaten their victim.

Unknown to them, their sinister motive had reached operatives of SARs, after which a crack team of detectives, personally led by the Officer in-charge, Mr Abba kyari, a Superintendent of Police, stormed somewhere in Adeniran Ogunsanya area of Surulere, Lagos arresting Chinasa Ozoemena and her boyfriend, Raphael who at that point were reportedly waiting for others.

•Cross section of the suspected kidnappers

Their confessional statements, led to the arrest of the rest four whose identities were given as Chukwudi Ikeji, 21, Nwaokike Ugochukwu, 24, and Osondu Njoku, 26 and a man simply identified as Obiora.

Raphael displayed an unflinching love for his heartthrob Chinasa, as he claimed to have initiated the kidnapped plan. But before his statement, Chinasa had told detectives that she informed her boyfriend, with the intention of making money with which to meet up with some needs.

In this interview with Crime Alert, Rapheal said, “ Yes, I am Chinasa’s boyfriend. I was the person that initiated the plan. When I noticed that her boss is rich, I asked her if we could kidnap him and get some money from him.

I also asked if she was sure the man could pay and she said yes. Then I went into action and contacted my friend Njoku who bought the idea.

Although we did not conclude how much we would ask him to pay but in my mind I said we would first demand for N30million and at the end, settle for whatever he would agree to pay.”

Njoku interjected at the point, wearing a sober look. He said, “ It is true he called me. But I told him there would be need for us to have a gun with which to defend ourselves should the man try to put up struggle.

Then, I decided to contact this guy ( pointing to Ugochukwu). But he said he had no gun but promised to contact another person whom he was sure could get us a gun.” Ugochukwu who at that point was in Anambra state, contacted his friend Ikeji, who also resides in Anambra.

According to Ikeji “ I am not a thief nor a kidnapper. When Ugochukwu came and told me his friends needed a gun, I told him I would help them get my brother’s own.

But I made Ugochukwu to promise they would, at the end, give me four hundred thousand and they all agreed. So, I went into my brother’s room and brought out his brownie America pistol that has a 9 mm live ammunition.”

Asked where his brother got the weapon from, he replied, “my brother is based in the United States of America. With the gun at hand, Ugochukwu and I left Anambra for Lagos, to give the people the gun.

I went with him so that I would take the gun back because I do not want to hear any story at the end. But we were arrested by policemen on reaching where we were to give them the gun.