Herbalist holds Filipinos, Indian captive for three months

Detectives attached to the Lagos State Police Command have rescued two Filipinos and an Indian from their abductors after three months.

The abduction was carried out by seven men, with four still at large. Three of the kidnappers, who are presently now in police custody have been identified as Seun, a driver to the Indian national, Mofiyasha 32, an herbalist who assisted in keeping the victims and Kayode.

The gang kidnapped the three victims and held them hostage for over three months. The Filipinos were abducted at their company’s premises and the Indian, while he was traveling.

Seun was said to have given his gang members information on how to abduct the victims. The first victim, the Indian was kept in the herbalist house for three months until his company paid N10million as ransom.

The two Filipinos were also kept in the herbalist’s house for nine days and only released after their company paid N4 million.

The head of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Inspector Olajide Tobunson, said the companies, through their solicitors petitioned Owoseni, explaining that their workers were abducted.

According to Tobunson, upon receiving the petition, Owoseni ordered immediate investigation.

During investigation, it was discovered that the kidnappers seized the victims’ phones from them and inserted their SIM cards. They used the phones to make the ransom demand calls.

Tobunson said: “We tracked the phones; we were able to arrest one Yinka. This Yinka was the first suspect we got. We arrested him at Ikotun area of Lagos State. He led us to arrest another person at Ikorodu, Ipaseun, where the abduction was carried out. It was also through him, that we were able to arrest the herbalist in Epelu Remo. In fact, the victims were kept in the home of the herbalist for nine days.

“We arrested the herbalist at midnight. They were arrested after they had released the victims and collected N4 million as ransom. It was after collecting the ransom, that we traced them to Epelu Remo, Ogun State to know the route and the house.  We discovered that the victims were kept in residential building. The victims were in the same house with the herbalist’s wife and children. The herbalist’s aged mother also lives in that house. Their last victim was kidnapped on July 5, and released on July 14. But we arrested the suspects on August 1.  There are still four men at large.”

The policeman noted that three suspects, who are in custody, have confessed that they carried out the abduction of the victims at Ogijo, Epelu Remo.

  

Tobunson recounted: “The foreigners were kidnapped and taken to Oduremo. According to them, the abduction of the Filipinos was their first operation. They did that operation in February and collected N4 million. In this second operation, which was abduction of the Indian, they collected N10 million.”

Mofiyasha, married with a child, said that he knew Kayode was working with gang of kidnappers. He said that early this year Kayode came to him, asking for a charm. He said that he was a long distance driver and wanted a charm protect from being hurt, no matter the circumstances. Kayode told Mofiyasha that people used to attack him without reason.

Mofiyasha narrated: “He said that he wanted a charm that would make bad people not to snatch his vehicle from him. It was from there, we are talking. People used to come to my house and sleep until the following day.”

Asked if he was aware that the foreigners in his house were abducted,  Mofiyasha said that it was his nature to welcome everybody to his house and allow them to pass the night.