A 28-year-old man, Ayodele Olaoye, who was allegedly kidnapped by a lady, Esther Phillips, he met at a Club in Opebi, Lagos, has narrated his ordeal before an Ikeja High Court.
Esther was said to have conspired with six others to commit the alleged offence.The other suspects are Patricia Nna, Kingsley Okonwa, Osita Adigwe, Uzochukwu Ezioha, Jude Sunday and Michael Olarenwaju, who are being prosecuted by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP.
The seven defendants who were arraigned on March 5 are facing a five-count charge of conspiracy, armed robbery, kidnapping and neglect to prevent felony.
Led in evidence by Mr Ade Ipaye, Attorney General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Olaoye said he had taken the accused to bed twice since they met in February 2012 and they became friends.
Olaoye, who said he came back into the country in December 2011, after his graduation from a university in England, said the first defendant gave her name as Jenny and claimed to be a student of Lagos State University, LASU.
Olaoye who was testifying at the trial of the seven kidnap suspects before Justice Olabisi Akinlade, said on April 22, 2012, at about 4 p.m, which was on a Sunday, the first defendant asked him to follow her to her hostel in LASU and he agreed because he trusted her.
How I was kidnapped
Olaoye said he drove his Nissan Muranno SUV and picked Philips up at a first generation bank in Opebi and they moved towards LASU with Phillips giving the directions that he should go and pick her friend, the second defendant, whom he said gave her name as Juliet.
He said after they had picked up Nna, the second defendant at Dopemu, Philips told him that the lady was her school mate.
According to him, after driving for sometime, they told me to stop at an isolated place because they were pressed, adding that immediately he stopped the car, three men, Okonwa, Adigwe and Ezioha, entered his car through the back door.
He said the defendants who were armed with a battle axe and knives dragged him to the back seat and took his mobile phone, wrist watch, necklace and money.
Olaoye said he was tied up, blindfolded and taken to an unknown destination by the first to fifth accused persons who told him to cooperate or they would kill him, adding that they took his phone and called his mum first to inform her that he was in a cage.
The ransom
The plaintiff said after speaking with his mum, they also called his father and told him that he was in a cage and demanded a ransom of $400,000.
He said Phillips specifically told him to try and convince his parents to pay the money or the guys would kill him.
Olaoye said he was incarcerated for four days, adding that the defendants collected N5 million ransom from his parents.
According to him, his father, Mr Segun Olaoye, paid N5 million to them which they shared among themselves.
My escape
He said it was while they were sharing the money that he was able to sneak out of the house where he was being held and took a motorcycle to his father’s office in Gowon Estate in Iyana-Ipaja.
After which he wrote a statement at the Police station but he couldn’t remember the exact date or the particular police station.
However, the matter has been adjourned.
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