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| The suspects |
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested one Sunday Nwankwo and two employees of an oil and gas merchant, Aguizu Chukwu, 19, and Tunde Olaewo, 21, for allegedly planning to kidnap their boss, one Solomon Otungo, in the Ejigbo area of the state.
The state Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muโazu, said at a press briefing, on Thursday, that the command mobilised operatives to arrest the suspects at their meeting point, after it received credible intelligence about the alleged plan to kidnap the oil and gas merchant.
He added that the suspects confessed to the crime and said they would have demanded a ransom of N60m from Otungo if their plan had succeeded.
Muโazu said, โThe police received credible intelligence report that some newly-employed workers of one Solomon Otungo, an oil and gas merchant in the Bucknor area of Ejigbo, Lagos, were holding nocturnal meetings on how they would kidnap and keep their employer incommunicado until a ransom of N60m was paid.
โBased on the information, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Ejigbo Police Station, CSP Olabisi Okuwobi, mobilised police detectives and stormed the venue of the meeting, where Aguizu Chukwu, 19, and Tunde Olaewo, 21, were rounded up and brought to the station.
โThe confessional statements of the suspects led to the arrest of one Sunday Nwankwo in the Isolo area of the state. The suspects have confessed to the crime and added that had their plan succeeded, they would have demanded N60m ransom from the businessmanโs family.โ
The CP added that the suspects would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigation.
Muโazu also paraded a security guard, who allegedly abandoned his duty post to steal an unregistered Lexus 330 SUV from where it was parked on Power-line Avenue, Meiran, Lagos State.
The CP, who said operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad arrested the man Yusuf Jubril, who was guarding the street where the SUV was parked by its owner, one Yusuf Jubril, added that the guard confessed to have stolen the car with the help of one Ibrahim, who is still at large.
Muโazu stated, โOn Monday, February 11, 2019, around 9.30pm, information was received from a member of the public that an unregistered Lexus 330 SUV was stolen from where it was parked on Power-line Avenue, Meiran, Lagos.
โBased on the information, SARS operatives attached to the Onilekere base mobilised to the scene and arrested a security man guarding the street where the car was initially parked, one Yusuf Jubril.
โDuring interrogation, he (Jubril) confessed to have stolen the car with the help of one Ibrahim, who is now at large. He later led operatives to the Ago Palace Way area of Okota in the state, where he displayed the car for sale. It was subsequently recovered.โ
The CP added that investigation was ongoing with a view to arresting the fleeing Ibrahim.
The command has also apprehended a 31-year-old man, Ahmed Lukmon, of No. 5 Olubuade Street, Amukoko area of the state for alleged involvement in armed robbery.
Lukmon was said to have been picked up following a stop and search operation by a team of policemen on Tuesday around 2pm at the Amukoko junction.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Chike Oti, said in a statement, on Thursday, that the operatives also recovered one locally-made double-barrelled shotgun with one unexpended and two expended cartridges from the suspect.
He said, โThe Lagos State Police Command arrested a suspected armed robber, Ahmed Lukmon, 31, on February 19 around 2pm during a stop and search operation by a team of policemen at the Amukoko junction, Amukoko area of Lagos.
โThe police recovered one locally-made double-barrelled shotgun with one unexpended and two expended cartridges from the suspect.โ
He added that investigation was in progress on the case.
Oti also said a team of policemen and firefighters, on the same date around 5.50pm, put out an inferno at the Taste Time factory, Ipaja Mine, Lagos.
According to him, the cause of the fire and the value of the property destroyed have not yet been determined.
