Are Kidnappers Threatening the Peace of Lagos?

Following a recent abduction of Fouani brothers in Lagos, Ejiofor Alike writes that security agencies should maintain a red alert to avert further threat to the state, which serves as a sanctuary for people from all parts of the country and foreigners in the face of the nationwide insecurity

Lagos State, which is perceived to be largely insulated from the insecurity ravaging the country, recorded a major security breach recently when five individuals, including three Lebanese brothers from Fouani Nigeria Limited, a major distributor of electronics, were abducted on Friday, June 14.

 The three Lebanese were Abbas Fouani; Youssef Fouani, and Amtal Fouani, while the other two victims were the boat driver and his assistant.

They were said to be travelling from Apapa to Victoria Island by boat when they were ambushed and abducted near Falomo Bridge and taken to an unknown destination by kidnappers who made a demand for $1.5 million ransom.

The boat carrying them was, however, recovered on the following day in the Ikorodu area of the state.

One month before the incident, the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transport of Nigeria (ATBOWATN) had called for more marine police officers to combat crimes on the Lagos State waterways.

The ATBOWATN President, Tarzan Balogun, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that with the security challenges in Nigeria, the waterways had become alternative routes of escape for criminals.

However, the Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, later announced the rescue of the five victims after four days in captivity.

According to him, the brothers were rescued on a Monday night in Orugbo Iddo by men of the Marine Police.

“They were rescued late last night in Orugbo Iddo. Our marine police with the support of the Nigerian Navy brought them to shore,” Hundeyin reportedly said.

It was not clear if the $1.5 million ransom was paid by the families of the victims.

Though the incident was not the first kidnap case recorded in Lagos State, it shook the business community due to the wide publicity it enjoyed and the personalities involved.

In the past, billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans, had led a terror gang that collected ransoms in dollars in a lucrative kidnap business in the state for more than five years.

It took the intervention of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Office of the Inspector General of Police (IG) for Evans to be arrested at his residence at No. 3, Fred Shogboyede Street, Magodo, Lagos on June 10, 2017.

However, due the fears Evans had instilled in his victims who were warned not to report to the police before or after regaining freedom, his criminal activities only became public knowledge after his arrest.

Before this latest kidnap incident, some residents of the state had raised the alarm over the spike in cases of kidnappings in the state, especially around Alimosho and Amuwo Odofin Local Government Areas (LGAs).

However, these incidents did not enjoy wide publicity as they did not affect Very Important Personalities (VIPs).

For instance, a 13-year-old girl, Miracle Adereti, was kidnapped by an unknown gang in the Ikotun area on December 1, 2023 on her way home from school.

Her father, Segun Adereti, while lamenting the abduction of his daughter, was quoted as saying: “We have received threats warning us not to involve the police. But as a family, we are deeply distressed and have no choice but to seek help from law-enforcement agencies.”

The state Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, had in March this year paraded suspected kidnappers.

Parading the suspects, the CP stated: “This is a case that deals with kidnapping, which happened on February 20, 2024, where three men, one in military uniform, accosted a young man and subsequently abducted him in a Honda Salon car and demanded ransom.

“The victim then transferred the sum of N400,000 to his abductors before he was released to another group who took him away in their Toyota Camry car, obtained him of his diamond earrings, gold earrings, Cartier wristwatch, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, and then demanded a ransom of N6.4million.

“Upon reporting the case, luckily, the victim was able to identify a young lady whom he saw pointing at him before the incident,” the CP added.

Earlier this year, there were also alleged incidents of abduction of men by terror gangs suspected to be homosexuals in the highbrow areas of Lekki and Banana Island.

In response to the growing incidence of kidnappings in the state, the police in April confirmed the arrest of nine members of a suspected kidnapping gang, terrorising the Lekki-Ajah axis of the state.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumiyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the arrest, said that mobile policemen from MOPOL 20, Ikeja, and Maroko Police Division, carried out the operation to arrest the suspected kidnappers.

He said the arrest was made after a shootout that lasted hours around one of the suspects’ hideouts in the Lekki-Ajah axis of the state.

The police spokesperson said the suspects were members of a notorious gang of kidnappers operating in the Lekki-Ajah axis.

He said their arrest followed a series of complaints from members of the public over an upsurge in kidnapping along the Lekki-Ajah axis.

Adejobi added that during the raid, three Point of Sale (POS) machines, allegedly used for the collection of ransom, and 10 mobile phones, were recovered from the suspects.

“In a more recent happening, on March 17, 2024, at about 10:30 p.m., the Commander PMF 20, Ikeja, Lagos, led a joint team of mobile policemen and officers from Maroko Division to a suspected den of kidnappers where they arrested nine suspected kidnappers.

“Three of their victims were also rescued, while 10 mobile phones and two POS machines were recovered from the suspects,” he said.

The latest incident involving the Fouani brothers has fuelled the need for increased security to ensure that the state retains its position as a sanctuary for Nigerians and foreigners.

Reacting to the incident, the Director General the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, had stated that the incident left the entire manufacturing community shocked and concerned about the safety of its chief executives and workforce.

Also reacting, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had vowed to ensure the arrest of those behind the kidnapping of the Lebanese nationals, including the Managing Director of Fouani Nigeria Limited, Muhammed Fouani.

Sanwo-Olu assured residents, particularly business owners and religious tourists, of adequate security in the state, saying his administration was committed to making the state peaceful, attractive and homely.

“The security of life and property is paramount, and we do not leave anything to chance on that,” the governor said.

“I want to assure all our citizens and businesses, both national and international, that Lagos will continue to remain safe and peaceful,” Sanwo-Olu added.

The police and other security agencies should also ensure that Lagos remains insulated from the nationwide insecurity.