Police apprehends pharmacist for alleged involvement in kidnapping

The police at the weekend, apprehended a pharmacist over his suspected involvement in the kidnap of his boss, Mr. Donatus Duru, the owner of a multi-national pharmaceutical company at Ilupeju area of Lagos state.

The victim was abducted while close to his office in Ilupeju on February 14, 2017 and taken to a hide out after which his kidnappers demanded one million Euros (N500million) for his release. The family later paid N150m but they insisted on the completion of the ransom failure of which they threatened to kill him.

The suspect, simply identified as Emeka, reportedly conspired with other members of a notorious kidnap gang led by their dreaded kingpin, Evans, to abduct his boss around 8pm that lover’s day. He was kept in their hide out at Igando area of Lagos state while both the anti-kidnapping unit in the state police command and Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), were making frantic efforts to locate and free him.

However, last Friday, the victim miraculously escaped from their hide out and alerted police detectives at the Lagos state anti-kidnapping unit who stormed the hide out and recovered large catch of arms abandoned by the fleeing kidnappers. Police sources intimated the Daily Times that the victim, who has gone into hiding with members of his family for fear of being attacked again by the fleeing members of the gang, narrated gory details of his escape from the kidnapper’s den at Igando.

According to the source, “the victim said that few days after he was abducted, he over heard the voice of a pharmacist, Emeka, who has been under his employ for long, discussing with his abductors in an adjoining room. He said he heard him asking the members of the kidnap gang whether they had contacted members of his (Mr. Duru) family. Subsequently, he kept on coming and giving directives to those keeping watch over him where he was chained on the leg and blindfolded inside one of the rooms in a flat.

“Few days before his escape, the victim said Emeka came and re-assured them that he had signed all the documents for the release of goods worth about N7million from his warehouse and also came the next Thursday to boldly question why they had not killed him as agreed. He reportedly left after he was assured that they will carry out the killing by next Friday. At this stage, the victim said he gave up hope of freedom and was waiting for his death sentence to be carried out.
However, early in the morning preceding the Friday, he was able to unchain himself while his captors were deeply asleep with their guns and escaped through the back door, landing at the next compound where a security guard jumped at him and branded him a thief.
The victim said that after narrating his story to the guard, he told him to wait but he did not see him again after waiting for a long time. Later, he sneaked out of the compound and hid in an obscure corner as he was unable to go further because of the sprain he had on the leg after jumping down from the high fence wall.

Unfortunately for him, early in the morning around 5am, he saw some passersby and ran out to narrate his plight to them pleading that they should help him. But, the people turned around to accuse him of being a thief and nearly succeeded in lynching him but for the intervention of one of them who after listening to his story, insisted that they should call any of his relations for confirmation. Luckily, they did and later took the badly wounded victim to Igando police station.

Daily Times learnt that despite the early report lodged at both Igando, Ilupeju police stations around 7am and later at the command headquarters, Ikeja, including the intervention of the state anti-kidnapping unit in Surulere, detectives only succeeded in raiding the gang’s hide out at Igando, seven hours (3pm) later resulting in the easy escape of members of the notorious gang. They only ended up recovering arms inside the building where they kept the victim.

The source further told Daily Times that after the operation, all efforts made by members of the victim’s family to get police protection based on fears that fleeing members of the gang may strike again, was to no avail prompting the disappearance of the victim with members of his family to an unknown place.
Meanwhile, it has not been possible to ascertain whether detectives have sealed up the kidnapper’s hide out where arms were reportedly recovered or identified the owner of the building.
However, sources said police authorities in Abuja are disturbed by the turn of events and escape of the abductors based on the alleged shoddy manner the rescue operation was handled leading to the escape of vicious members of the gang who have carried out several high profile kidnappings and targeted mostly, successful business men who end up paying a whooping sum of one million Euros (N500m) each before they are released.

Contacted for comments, the Deputy spokesman for Lagos state police command, Ifeanyi Iheanacho, said he was not aware of the arrest of anybody over the case and also denied the issue of police late response to the rescue operation. On the issue of protection, he said the victim was advised to go for proper medical checks and stay away from the press.