By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor

The trigger

In 2011, after the decomposing body of a Lagos-based wealthy business man, Chief Uzodike (not real name),   who was earlier abducted in Festac town was mysteriously discovered in a far-away remote village, close to his home town in Anambra state, nobody envisaged that it would be a veritable signal to an emerging dastardly trend in kidnapping that would later envelope and threaten the area in Lagos.

Today,   the sordid spectre of the gruesome and cold-blooded murder of the 62-year-old, amiable and very successful business man that owned numerous plazas at the popular Alaba International market, Ojo, Lagos,   has triggered off series of uncountable kidnappings that has virtually turned Festac town into a terror zone. The situation has gotten so bad that prominent businessmen, mostly of Igbo extraction who have turned the area into a permanent abode,   are now deserting it.   Worse still, viable properties have taken a disturbingly downward trend to the extent that developers and investors are on the run.   No thanks to the ruinous and continued spate of abductions being recorded almost on a daily basis in the once flourishing and socially- thriving area of Lagos state.

Payment of millions as ransom

So far,   innumerable numbers of victims have paid millions of naira as ransom to these dare-devil kidnapping gang whose criminal outreach and operational methods have so far dwarfed security agencies. More worrisome are also allegations of connivance and negligence being leveled against some officials of security agencies going by the carefree manner, lack of purposefulness and positive efforts to curtail the rising ugly trend.

Investigations revealed that the deadly kidnapping gang is headed by very wealthy individuals who have criminally perfected the art of using the teeming unemployed youths and apprentices as their hit men. They have also co-opted some members of cult groups, both within and outside Festac , into their gang and they are handsomely rewarded from the proceeds of their operations.   Their operational strategies involve, first, identifying possible victims who must be wealthy businessmen and those about to make huge money from business transactions. Their victims have their business interests mostly at the popular Alaba International market or Trade Fair complex where billions of cash,   in both local and foreign currencies,   exchange hands daily.

How they operate

Apprentice members of the vicious gang are saddled with the task of fishing out such victims and identifying the largeness of their pockets including, trailing them with a view to having intimate knowledge of, not only their residence and members of their families but also, details of their social outings. Once they complete such close monitoring, the cultists and other members of the gang  will go into action with the master plan cleverly drafted by their leaders whom they reliably address as “my lord”. The apprentices also keeps close tab on unsuspecting business men in the markets whose goods were about to arrive in the country. As soon as the goods arrive and sales concluded with proceeds running into billions or hundreds of millions of naira, they will strike by kidnapping the successful business man who will end up paying millions as ransom. Unfortunately, it was learned that family members of the victims are warned not to report to the police and many truly avoid contacting the police for fear of endangering the lives of their breadwinners and also based on the lingering suspicion of connivance and negligence.

It was also revealed that the gang maintains updated addresses of all their victims and would-be-victims. Security sources hinted that some members of the gang arrested by the police and charged to court intimated that they have names of almost all the businessmen at Alaba International market and Trade Fair complex together with those of members of their families. According to the sources, “They revealed that they are paid according to their ability to monitor their victims closely and give useful information that will yield positive dividends in cash. They claimed also that they were forced to swear to blood-oath  of secrecy never to disclose the identities of their kingpins and that it will be very difficult to break their tentacles as all the kidnappings are masterminded and perfected by the kingpins who hail from a particular town in Anambra state. They are stupendously wealthy and they have wide contacts,” the sources stated.

Security expert speaks

However, a security expert who pleaded anonymity fiercely countered allegations of connivance with security agencies. “ The problem is that of misplacement of information by the victims and people around them. When they expose certain information about themselves to certain people around them, they make them believe that they have money and that is the attraction to criminals. The criminals are not far from the victims. Most of the time they are close to the police and understand the way they operate. They plant people at police stations and the police, unfortunately, are poor in information management.   What is going on in Festac is more of collaboration with business associates who have dirty deals.”

Police sources open up also

But police sources at Festac said the criminals are succeeding because the police recently adopted method of operating only at pin- down points.   “The defect in this method is that criminals monitor us and our movements. If we conduct routine stop -and -search, there is no way we would not be able to checkmate what they are doing in Festac presently.   The former Area commander was so good in that, that was why he recorded so many achievements. After he left, the criminals studied the situation and after they succeeded with some operations, they now concluded that the ground is level and that is why they are kidnapping people brazenly.

Allegation of connivance

“On the allegation of connivance,   I can bet my life to assert that it is not true. If it is,   how come those we arrested so far have not named any police officer as their accomplice? No officer is benefiting from the kidnapping presently ravaging Festac rather,   what we lack is methodology and planning, “ he stated.

Meanwhile, family members of the latest victim of abduction which took place at Amuwo-Odofin, close to Festac are still battling to conclude negotiations with the criminals.     In fact, sources said the embattled family who had since deserted their residence in Raji Rasaki Estate,   have continued to avoid any moves that will endanger the life of their benefactor,   Francis Umeh. This is just as members of the family of another captive,   Chief Elias Ukachukwu,   who was abducted last year November,   are battling to raise another $1M after they paid the initial $1M to his abductors who insisted on more payments accusing the family of being rude to them during negotiation.

Litany of victims and Captives

(1) Mbarikatta William Uboma, 35, kidnapped June 16th, 2012 at about 11am on his arrival from Hungary while he was close to his house. He was in his Toyota Car 2010 model in company of his brother to drop him at his house when a passat car emerged from no where and blocked his car.     They blindfolded him and forcefully abducted him to an unknown destination. They latter demanded a ransom of N10M. However, N2M was later paid while they collected other personal accessories. He was finally dropped at Okota on the third day.

(2) Paul Cole, 34, from Ohafia in Abia state. A Director with Ocean Glory Commodities, Apapa. Kidnapped August 33rd, 2012 at Festac town together with his General Manager, Jude Ugoje and another staff, Piriye Gogo and taken to an unknown destination.   They demanded for N10M. On August 6th, 2012, they collected N5M ransom at Maza-maza.

(3) Mohammed Jamal, 22, a Lebanese kidnapped on August 19, 2012 at Ajah by three armed men taken away blindfolded. N7M ransom was later paid at Ojo Barracks.

(4) Kingsley Nwokenta, 34, kidnapped September 19, 2012 after he left Lebanana Bar in festac at Mile two under bridge. Later paid N1.5M ransom while they made away with his black Toyota Venza and other accessories.

(5) Anthony Ozoanidobi, 41, kidnapped in October 10th 2012 along Marwa road Satellite town. Ransom of N1.5M paid after which he was released at apple junction, Amuwo-Odofin

(6) Leo Abraham 58, Kidnapped August 20, 2012. Paid ransom of N5M and was later released along Badagry road, Lagos.

(7) Ojukwu Cosmas 45, sells Toyota parts at Aspanda Trade fair. Kidnapped January 21, 2016 at Festac town. Yet to be released.

(8) James Uduji; Kidnapped close to his house at 7th Avenue Festac late last year.   Held for 6 six weeks. Paid $1M.

(9) Chief Raymond Okoye – Odu-      Na –Ichida.   kidnapped 2015. Paid $1M as ransom, held   captive for 2months

(10) Uche   Okoroafor, trader at Alaba, kidnapped 2015,   held captive for   three months, paid   $1M.

(11)Elias Ukachukwu kidnapped November 2015. Paid $1M.  Yet to be released as abductors are insisting on another $1M claiming family members were rude to them during negotiation.

(12) Francis Umeh also a spare parts dealer at Aspanda.   kidnapped last week Thursday at Raji Rasaki Estate. Family still negotiating with abductors.