Kidnappers in tricycle abducted woman while jogging in Lagos

Taiwo Jimoh

A housewife, Mrs. Gbemisola Alabi, was on Sunday morning abducted while jogging at the Sangotedo, Ajah area of Lagos State.

The kidnappers were said to have rode close to Alabi and other members of her jogging group and made a grab for them. The armed men shot sporadically as they attempted to grab the joggers.

While others scampered in different directions, the men successfully grabbed Alabi, bundled her into their tricycle and disappeared.

The incident was said to have occurred at about 6: am, along Monastery Road, near Shoprite.

Eyewitnesses claimed that as the kidnappers were fleeing after successfully kidnapping Alabi, they continued shooting sporadically, scaring people from making attempt to rescue her.

The victim’s elder sister, Mrs. Aderonke Adebayo, who spoke with our correspondent on phone, said it was unfortunate that her sister was kidnapped. She explained that Alabi was not the only jogger at the scene when the kidnappers arrived.  

According to her, her sister left her home at Sangotedo early in the morning to participate in the exercise with other neighbours, before she would prepare for church, but she ended up being kidnapped.

Adebayo said: “My sister was the only person that was abducted by the kidnappers. When other people, who were jogging with her, tried to rescue her from the abductors, the kidnappers started shooting. The kidnappers came in a tricycle. We reported the matter at Ogombo Police Station; the police promised to rescue and return her to us safely.

“As I speak with you, some of our family members and I were at Ogombo Police Station, to know the level of what they had done to bring her back, but police said they were still investigating. I have been receiving phone calls from people, who said that they heard that the kidnappers have released my sister, but it’s not true. My sister has not been released.”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Bala Elkana, while speaking on the incident, denied that Alabi was kidnapped. According to him, it was a case of a missing person.

He said: “The woman left home and didn’t retune. Nobody knew why she did not return home. It was her family that went to Ogombo Police Station to report a case of a missing person. It was also stated that she had issued with her landlady. We have invited the landlady for questioning and investigation is ongoing to get to the root of the matter.”