37-year-old Tony Anene from Delta State, is now cooling his heels in the custody of the Nigerian Army, 9 Brigade, Ikeja, Lagos, for allegedly conspiring with two others who are now at large to kidnap his uncle, one Mr. Dominic Nwaezego in Lagos, apparently over a land dispute.
The suspects were apprehended by men of the Brigade attached to the enhanced security squad popularly called “Quick Response Group” (QRG) while taking his victim to their hideout along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and rescued the victim in the process.
DailyPost gathered that Tony and his cohorts had lured their victim out of his house on April 9, pretending they were sent by the Economic Adviser to the President, Mr. Augustine Uwaiz Ahikoya, in respect of the land dispute.
But was immediately blindfolded and ordered into a waiting car as soon as he stepped out of his compound. He was reportedly left incommunicado and without food for three days.
Parading the suspected kidnappers over the weekend, the Commander 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, General Adeniyi Oyebade, warned criminal elements still wandering in Lagos to find another place for their criminal activities or be ready to be “weeded out” of the city, stressing that Lagos state is now a “no-go area” for kidnappers and other criminal elements.
Gen Oyebade said,“This morning, a few minutes to 1.00a.m. On Friday, the Nigerian Army Quick Response Group, which operates on Lagos-Ibadan-Ogere axis, stopped a Honda car, blue in colour with Registration Number: LND 751 AP in Akara village, somewhere around Ogun State.”
“They observed that the vehicle was just wobbling along with one of the tyres in bad shape. During an on-the-spot interrogation, as part of the “stop and search operations”, somebody in the vehicle by name Mr. Dominic Nwaezegu shouted that he was a kidnap victim,” he said.
“On hearing that shout, two out of the three kidnappers jumped out of the vehicle and ran into the bush. Unfortunately for one of them, Mr. Tony Anene, he was apprehended and brought into the military custody for interrogation.
“It was under the guise of the land dispute that the elderly man was kidnapped using the name of the Economic Adviser, but based on our investigation, the economic adviser has nothing to do with the kidnapping,” he added.
Investigation also revealed that the suspected kidnapper, Tony, took advantage of the fact that his uncle’s son, who lives in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, UAE had visited the country recently to attend a wedding; perhaps, Tony suspected that he came in with some money to give to his father.
However, Tony confirmed that there was indeed, a land dispute that they were trying to resolve in the village. He also did not deny his involvement in the crime during interrogation.
According to him, “Few weeks ago, my uncle (Dominic) called me to say that some people had called him, wanting to resolve the land issue located at Oshimili Local Government Area of Delta State, in particular Okpoije Umueze quarters in Ibuzor.
“He said they asked him to come to Ikeja, that economic adviser sent them. But I told my uncle not to go, that the man in question was not a nice person. I also told him if the man had any problem, he would come to his house.”
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