How Driver, Two Others Kidnapped Employer’s Son, Demanded N150m Ransom

A private driver, Kwasi Samuel has been arrested by the police for the abduction of his employer’s 10-year-old son in Lagos State.

He was arrested alongside two other persons by operatives of the Zone 2 Zonal Monitoring Unit (ZMU).

The victim has however been rescued by the police.

The other two arrested suspects are identified as Unachukwu Monday and Freeman Ekpebo, both of whom were arrested in the Ijanikin area of Lagos State.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Zone 2 police command, Umma Ayuba, in a statement she signed on Wednesday stated, “On March 26, 2024, at about 6:00 am, a resident of Millionaire Estate, Oniru, Lagos, reported the kidnapping of her 10-year-old son, [name withheld] and the driver, Samuel Kwasi, in the Ikoyi area of the state.

“She further revealed that the kidnappers demanded One Hundred and Fifty Million Naira ransom to be paid before the release of the boy.”

SP Ayuba continued, “Acting on the intelligence, Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, AIG Olatoye Durosinmi, ordered a team of detectives led by CSP Tijjani Taofiq, Officer-in-Charge of the Zonal Monitoring Unit, to swiftly utilize advanced tracking techniques and intelligence gathering.

“The team pinpointed the kidnappers’ hideout to the Ayetoro area of Ijanikin, Badagry road, area of the State and moved in.”

She added, “On March 28, 2024, at about 3:40 pm, officers raided the hideout at Cozzy Hotel, Ijanikin, where one of the suspects, Nnachukwu Monday, was arrested, and the victims were rescued unharmed.

“In a coordinated operation, Mr Kwasi, the driver, and one Ekpebo were both apprehended at Sun Era Hotel, Ijanikin, where they were allegedly waiting to receive the ransom.

“Investigation revealed Mr Kwasi, who is the principal suspect, masterminded the kidnap of the boy.

“During the interrogation, Kwasi confessed to the crime by disabling the car’s tracking device before the operation.

“Meanwhile, the car’s tracking device and a knife were recovered from the hotel room at Sun Era Hotel, Ijanikin, where the suspects were lodged.”