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The duo of Emmanuel Onyeka, a trader and Mrs. Chichi Obiajulu, a
beer parlor operator at Aguda, Surulere, Lagos will never forget what happened
to them last Sunday, in a hurry. In fact, while they are alleging that
they were victims of kidnapping, the police is investigating whether their ugly
encounter with a customer in the bar was a kidnap or ritual attempt.
However, the man at the center of the whole drama identified
simply as Chief Ibekwe, according to Police sources, vehemently denied the
allegations made against him and his driver insisting that the so-called
victims were drunk and they were rendering a humanitarian service by taking
them back to their respective homes.
Crime Alert gathered that the drama started in the early hours of
the penultimate Sunday around 3.30am at Celenzia bus stop, Badagry
Expressway.
The main suspect, at the center of the dram, Chief Ibekwe had gone
to his usual drinking joint owned by Madam Chichi and while there, he met
Emmanuel Onyeka who happened to be an old time friend dating back to 25
years. They hugged, exchanged pleasantries and tried to get back at old
times. They reportedly spent time together after which Ibekwe offered to
drive both him and the bar owner home.
The story took a dramatic dimension after the victims suddenly
discovered that instead of being taken to their residence at Surulere area,
Chief Ibekwe and his driver, Thomas, were heading towards Badagry expressway.
They reportedly started struggling to free themselves from the hands of their
suspected abductors. Mrs.Chichi succeeded in jumping out of the car into
a swamp at Celeniza bus stop while her colleague failed.
Thereafter, she pulled off her clothes, a white blouse and wrapper
in order for her assailants not to recognize her. She was able to crawl out of
the swamp naked and hid in front of a shop. Luckily, she was seen by some
members of a Vigilante Group in the area who clothed her before she
narrated her ordeal to them.
It was learnt that while she was narrating the story, she received
a call from the other victim Mr Emmanuel, who told her where they were after
which members of the vigilante group succeeded in rescuing him also and
arrested their suspected kidnappers.
A member of the Vigilante Group, Mr. Afolabi Omotosho told
Crime Alert that while they were on patrol at about 3:30.a.m at Celeniza, bus
stop, they saw something crawling from the swamp into one of the shops around
there.
“Thinking it was a mad person or a robber, we drew closer only to
see a naked woman breathing very fast. So, we quickly provided a cloth for her
to cover her body, calmed her down and asked her what the problem was. She told
us that she owns a bar at Aguda, Surulere and that she does not know what
happened.
“That she just woke up to find herself in car going towards
Badagry, so she jumped off the car. While narrating her ordeal to
us, she got a call from one man who happened to be another victim. He
told us that the vehicle he was in was heading back, so I told some of my boys
to stay at the expressway to track the vehicle down. When my boys saw a
vehicle coming, they stopped it and found Mr. Emmanuel Onyeka.
“When we questioned Chief
Ibekwe, he said he did not kidnap the two victims, that it was because they
were drunk he decided to take them home. The Chief also offered us the sum of
N300,000.00 which we declined. Later in the morning, we handed him and his
driver over to the Police at Ijanikin for further interrogation,”he stated.
In another development, members of the vigilante group recorded
another feat by arresting a notorious bugler while he was breaking into a
sachet water depot (name withheld) in Jakande area of Ajangbadi
community, Oto Awori Local Council development area of Lagos state. The suspect
told Crime Alert that he has been indulging in criminal activities from the age
of 12 after he was scolded by his parents for stealing N200.
The suspect who gave his name as Jimoh Olalekan,19, was earlier
arrested by men of the vigilante group when he allegedly tried to break into
a sachet water depot. He also confessed to have been responsible
for the criminal activities in the community stating that he also sell
his loot to a ready buyer at the Alaba-Rago market in Ojo Local Government
Area.
Efforts by Crime Alert to confirm the story from the police at
Ajangbadi station failed as the officers refused to speak with us. A
source at the station however alleged that the suspects have been released by
the police after making their statements.