Armed men kidnap hotel manager in Lagos

A hotel manager identified as Durodola Muwalu has been rescued from four kidnappers who had held him hostage. Muwalu was kidnapped on Thursday, December 4, by 7 pm while driving to his Itokin house in the Ikorodu area.
The suspects ─ Felix Ikuomola, Gbenga Popoola, Adebayo Akibu and Azeez Olowu after been arrested by the police confessed that Muwalu has been mistaken for the owner of the hotel where he work in Ikorodu area of Lagos.
According to PUNCH Metro, the 36-year-old Popoola, a native of Epe, Lagos State, said they were sent by one Agbogidi, who is a chief in the Itokin area, to kidnap Muwalu because Agbogidi claimed that the hotel owner allegedly bought vehicles for other chiefs, but left him out.
Hear him, “I work as a commercial driver. I was the one who carried the pump-action rifle on the day of the incident. It was one Agbogidi and Ojurongbe, who contracted me to help them deal with the hotel owner. It was the hotel owner that we wanted to kidnap.
“However, the manager was driving his boss’ car that evening, so we mistook the manager for the owner.
Giving his own account, Agbogidi said, “the hotel owner bought vehicles for other chiefs in Itokin and left him out. So, he contacted us to do the job for him. The police are still looking for Agbogidi and Ojurongbe. We were promised a good part of the ransom, but unfortunately, the family had yet to pay anything before we were arrested.”
For the forty-year-old Akibu, who also hails from Epe and claims to be the driver of the gang, they later brought down their ransom to N5 million when the manager’s family could not raise N60 million.
His words, “I drove the gang. We blocked his vehicle with ours while he was driving home and asked him to come with us. I followed them because I needed money. When the family could not raise the money, we asked them to pay N10 million and later N5 million. We did not know the police were tracking our calls.”
Olowu, 38, said he supplied the gang with the rifle, adding that he was not told they were heading for a kidnap operation.
It was learnt that after information had reached the state Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, about the incident, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad team, led by Abba Kyari, was instructed to track the kidnappers.
According to Punch metro, the victim was taken to a shrine in Imobi in the Ijebu waterside area, where they spent about a week before they relocated to Imoru.
The Dam-Jay Hotel manager was rescued by the police on the 15 of December two weeks after his abduction in the kidnapper’s hideout in Ijebu Ode.
DSP Kenneth Nwosu, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the arrest of the kidnappers adding that investigations were on.
His words, “the kidnappers’ hideout was traced to Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, and after the police searched the compound, the victim was rescued, while the suspects were arrested. Investigation continues on the matter.”