Kidnappers in Military Camouflage Storm Epe Farm, Kidnap NYSC Member, Three Others

Chiemelie Ezeobi

A 10-man gang of kidnappers kitted in military camouflage were said to have at weekend stormed a farmland at the Epe axis of Lagos State and abducted a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) returnee, Ifeoluwa Olabiyi, and three other men.

This is coming on the heels of the abduction of three female students and six members of staff of Nigeria Tulip International College (NTIC), Ogun State, recently.

The armed kidnappers were said to have stormed the Tanda farm and after shooting sporadically in the air to scare of any rescue attempt, made away with four persons.

Already, the kidnappers were said have asked for a ransom of N5million each, making it a total of N20million for all four persons.

According to sources, the farmland was the same one the kidnappers had struck sometime last year and abducted some farmers.

The source said: “This time around, they had come from the creeks and entered the farm. They were heavily armed, so no one could resist them.

“They left with three farmers and the NYSC returnee, who had finished her service year and was employed at the farm.

“Note that she has always been a worker at the farm but left for service. She was employed at the farm about two weeks ago. She is a graduate of Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, Oyo State.

“Already he fiancé is distraught and alarmed at the whopping sum demanded as ransom by kidnappers, as he has no idea how to raise it.”

However, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, Fatai Owoseni, who debunked the news, said he personally visited the supposed scene of kidnapping.

He said he had gone alongside his men for a confidence patrol in that area and had even visited some companies to assure them of safety.

Meanwhile, another police source who was on the CP’s entourage, who could neither debunk nor confirm the report, said it might have happened in Ogun State and not Lagos.

But the Ogun State Police Command has since debunked that any form of kidnapping happened in their terrain except that of the NTIC.