Court Remands Five Suspected Kidnappers Of Popular Lagos Businessman

A Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court today (25th March 2022) ordered the remand of five men, who allegedly kidnapped an Ikorodu based businessman, Chief Onabanjo Lukman, popularly called Bugon.

The four suspected kidnappers are Abdullahi Muhammed Kpoyi; Gagari Abdullahi Safaru; Samako Ibrahim; Rana Umaru and Adamu Abdullahi.

Chief Magistrate Olatubosun Adedayo, ordered that the four men be remanded in the custody of Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS) for the next 30 days, to enable the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to issue legal advice on allegations of conspiracy, kidnapping and possession of firearms.

Magistrate Olatubosun’s order was sequel to a remand application filed and moved by Barrister Morufu Animashaun on behalf of Zonal Monitoring Unit, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos.

Animashaun had told the court that the application was brought under sections 264 (1), (2) (3) (4) & (6) & 267 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State 2021 (as amended); sections 4 and 10 of the Police Act, 2020 and sections 6 (6), 35 (1) (C) (5) and (7) (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Animashaun had also listed four grounds for the application which are; conclusion of an investigation into the matter; the offence(s) under the arrest of the suspects/respondents are indictable offence which a state/Federal High Court is seized with the requisite jurisdiction to try; the case file has been duplicated and forwarded to the office of Director of Public Prosecution for Legal Advice prosecution and that the application is meant to avoid a breach of the suspects/respondents constitutional right to liberty.

Magistrate Adedayo, after listening to the police prosecutor, ruled that the application has merit and the same is granted accordingly.

She ordered that the five suspected kidnappers be remanded in NCoS’ custody till 25th April, for DPP to issue legal advice.

The police in an affidavit attached with the remand application, deposed to by Adeyemi Akeem, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to Zonal Monitoring Unit, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos stated that the defendants were arrested in connection with a case of conspiracy and kidnapping, received through intelligent information. And that upon the receipt of the Information, the operatives Led by him, stormed the scene of crime wherein the Respondents were arrested with 27 AK47, live ammunition and brought to their office for interrogation.

He stated that during the investigation of the matter, the victim, Chief Onabanjo Lukman, was Invited, and he volunteered his statement, stating how the suspects conspired and kidnapped him at the Agbowa area of Lagos State and stated that he was manhandled and kept in the bush for 3 days.