A four-man gang, among whom was a supposed ‘pregnant woman’ last week abducted a businessman, Timothy Uche.
Uche was kidnapped in Ejigbo area of Lagos State. He was just driving into the complex where his electronic store is, at about 9.30 pm to pick up his children who were waiting for him.
The armed men damaged his car with torrents of gunshots. While one of them was in their operational car, three others were releasing bullets, made for the businessman. They dragged him out of his car and whisked him away in their operational vehicle.
Ransom
Apprehension sets in as the businessman’s family was left in the dark without any word from him, as his phone was switched off.
However, the Kidnappers called Uche’s family two days later.
The kidnappers, as gathered, demanded N70 million ransom, which they insisted must be paid in the United States Dollars, before Uche would be released.
According to Vanguard, he was released on Tuesday , March 14,2023 after payment of an unspecified amount as ransom.
In an interview with Uche, he thanked God for being alive but wondered why he should be the target.
Narrating his three nights ordeal in the hands of his captors, he disclosed that the pregnant woman among the gang, turned out to be a man after all.
He said, “ I thank God for not allowing any of the bullets to hit me. They even fired a bullet at my car seat. it burned the upholstery of the seat but didn’t touch me.
“When they took me into their car, they drove through Egbe, Idimu, and Liasu roads, to an apartment in the Ayobo area of Lagos State, where I was kept for three days. While I was struggling with them in their vehicle, they attempted to stab me with a knife and shoot me with a gun. But none penetrated. There were bruises on me. One of them even cut through my signet but the knife could not penetrate. That was the power of God at work.
“For the three days, I spent in their custody, I was fed and medically treated. There have been three kidnap attempts on me and this is the only time they succeeded.
While I was in the kidnappers’ den, one of them said they had been monitoring me since last Monday.
“They demanded N70 million ransom. When they discovered that my wife could not raise the amount, they reduced it to N15 million. After much bargaining and plea, they reduced it again to N5 million, when it became obvious that money was not forthcoming. But they insisted it must be paid in dollars.
“They kept me in an apartment and communicated in English and Igbo dialects. I later discovered that one of them who dressed like a pregnant woman was actually a man” he said.