The Nigeria Police Force says it prevented an attempt to kidnap the Deputy Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service and her family members on Saturday.
According to Lagos Police Public Relations officer, SP Chike Oti, the kidnappers were planning to use the brother of the Customs DC to kidnap her and her son.
The identities of the suspects were revealed to be Yomi Odudare and Olugbenga Kehinde Ojo.
The Police revealed that Yomi had been calling Barrister Yisa Theophilus, the younger brother of the female officer, on phone and making a frantic effort to lure him to a location where he would be subsequently kidnapped.
However, Barrister Yisa informed the Police and the force counter-planned, leading to the arrest of the kidnappers.
Oti said: “The police team ran a quick check on the caller based on available information and came to the conclusion that he was up to something sinister. So the detectives called him to meet with them for a land deal and he agreed.”
Oti said some officers went with Barrister Yisa to meet Yomi at an agreed location in Ajah where he was arrested.
He said that during interrogation, Yomi revealed that he was not alone in the mission and mentioned Olugbenga, a former driver of the Deputy Comptroller’s uncle, as his accomplice.
“He, however, said that the idea to kidnap Bar Yisa, his sister and her son came from one Olugbenga Kehinde Ojo, a former driver of the Deputy Comptroller’s uncle. He added that the idea was to kidnap the lawyer and force him to lure out his sister, who is a Deputy Comptroller of Customs.
“To make his story believable, he put a call to the said Olugbenga Kehinde Ojo. He told him to meet up with him, that he had successfully kidnapped the lawyer. He was happy and so he rushed to the venue, straight into the waiting arms of police detectives investigating the case.
“Both suspects took the police to a shanty, surrounded by water, situated in Eleko, along Lekki/Epe Expressway, Lagos, which they prepared as a hostage ground for their would be victims.”
The Lagos Commissioner of Police urged Lagosians to be wary of people who invite them to lucrative business deals, as it might turn out to be a ploy to kidnap or harm them.
