The Lagos State Police Command has arrested six yet-to-be-identified men for allegedly abducting their business partner in the Lekki area of the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, identified by his nickname Senator, was kidnapped and held for three days following a business dispute.
A police source who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday said the arrest was made on Friday morning.
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According to the source, a complaint was lodged by the family of the victim over his whereabouts, leading to a search by the police.
The source said, “The victim’s family reported the case of a missing person at the police station. He was said to have stepped out on Tuesday but did not return home. This made the police launch a search for his whereabouts. It was in the process that he was traced through his phone to an apartment in Lekki. A team of detectives was mobilised to the location where he victim was found.”
Another source who was aware of the development but pleaded anonymity told our correspondent on Sunday that the men subjected the victim to maltreatment during his stay in their captivity.
“His phone was seized, and money was withdrawn from his bank account. During interrogation, we discovered that they had transacted some business together, and the outcome of the business did not favour the suspects. Out of frustration, they decided to abduct him as a way of recovering their money,” the source added.
Although the nature of the business was not disclosed, the source, who is also a police officer, said the investigation was ongoing, adding that the suspects would be charged after interrogation.
In a video seen by PUNCH Metro, the suspects were seen being handcuffed after they were rounded up by the detectives.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said she was not aware of the incident.
“I will contact the police division in the area to find out and get back to you,” she added. She had yet to revert to PUNCH Metro as of the time of filing this report
Kidnap-for-ransom cases have been on the rise in the country over the years. Security experts, however, warned that some disputes among business partners now escalate into criminal abductions.
PUNCH Metro reported in August that a 32-year-old painter, Chigozie Clement, was arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly abducting his customer’s seven-year-old son in the Ketu Alapere area of the state.
The suspect allegedly lured the child away from his home and later contacted the victim’s mother to demand a ransom of N7m for the boy’s release.
Detectives later trailed the painter to the Ijegun area of the state, where he was arrested, while the boy was rescued in the process.
