MICHAEL AKINOLA
Police operatives from the Tactical Team, Area M Command Annex, Idimu, Lagos have arrested four suspected internet fraudsters a.k.a Yahoo boys in Lagos State for alleged abduction and kidnapping of their colleague and obtaining certain amount of money and items as ransom over failed sharing of their loot worth millions of Naira.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspects, Abayomi Ishola,28, Chima Collins, 29, Oluwaseun Ileri, 40 and Ayodabo Muyideen, 38, were alleged to have conspired and kidnapped Mmizoro Ebere Evaristus and obtained ransom after they alleged that he cheated them and converted an undisclosed amount of money realized from the alleged scam to his personal use.
The incident happened at Westend Sports Bar in Akowonjo and Ipaja area of Lagos, where they accosted Evaristus and abducted him.
The victim, Evaristus, reported to the Police Tactical team, Area M Command Annex in Idimu, Lagos, that the suspects conspired and kidnapped him twice and obtained ransom from him.
Thus, the Police moved into action, eventually arrested the suspects and detained them at the Station for interrogation over their alleged conduct. And while being interrogated, the suspects made startling revelations about what led to the purported kidnapping, which had to do with the alleged fraud.
According to the Police, on 20th and 21st February, 2024, the suspects conspired and kidnapped the victim, Evaristus and robbed him of diamond earrings, wrist watch, iPhone and gold earrings worth N1.6m.
After capturing him, they bundled him into a saloon car with registration number, SMK 730FB and Toyota Camry with registration number, EKY 138FS and forced him to pay N400,000 into a First Bank account number, 3085069447 belonging to Ayobami Oyelere.
The Police found the suspects culpable after rounds of interrogation and consequently charged them before the Ejigbo Magistrate Court for the alleged offence under the Criminal Laws of the State, which attracts several years of imprisonment.
However, the complainant, Evaristus, was said to have sensed that if the matter continued in Court by arraigning the defendants, they may as well implicate him during the trial and he may be jailed for fraud.
When the defendants were arraigned in Court, they pleaded not guilty on the three counts charges.
The prosecutor, Supol Benedict Aigbokhan, then told the Court that the complainant, Evaristus, wrote a letter of withdrawal that he was no longer interested in the matter and asked the Court to strike out the matter as they have resolved the matter among themselves.
The Presiding Magistrate, K.A. Ariyo, granted his request and consequently struck out the matter. The defendants were released and they all went home together.