‘I’ve Been K!dnapping Since 2010’ — Suspect Confesses as Police Arrest Three Over N21m K!dnap Rans0m

‘I’ve Been Kidnapping Since 2010’ — Suspect Confesses as Police Arrest Three Over N21m Kidnap Ransom

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a cross-state kidnapping syndicate accused of abducting a businesswoman in the Ijedodo area of Lagos and collecting N21 million ransom before releasing her.

The suspects—Semi Buawe, 35; Oluwatomi Obosi, 37; and Bamure Telemowei—were arrested after detectives attached to the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit traced them to their hideout in Agadagba community, Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Police said the syndicate’s alleged leader, identified simply as ID, remains at large and is suspected of masterminding kidnapping operations across several states.

The victim, whose identity was withheld by the police, reportedly spent three days in a bush around Ijedodo before her family secured her release after paying the ransom.

The payment, according to investigators, comprised N21 million, a bottle of schnapps, a power bank and one kilogramme of frozen turkey.

How the gang operated
Investigations revealed that the suspects allegedly planned the operation in Ondo State before travelling to Lagos in April 2026 to carry out the abduction.

After collecting the ransom, they reportedly returned to Agadagba, their base in Ondo State.

The police described the pattern as an indication of the increasingly cross-state nature of kidnapping operations in the South-West.

Suspect admits 16-year kidnapping career
Buawe, a 35-year-old sawmill worker, admitted participating in the operation and disclosed that he had been involved in kidnapping since 2010, although he claimed he had decided to quit the criminal enterprise before ID allegedly persuaded him to join the Lagos operation.

An indigene of Agadagba, Buawe said his previous experience living in Lagos made him useful to the gang.

According to him, ID approached him in April 2026, claiming he had a “job” in Lagos and wanted him to participate.

“I initially declined because I had decided that I wanted to quit kidnapping. He kept calling and begging me. Later, he brought some of his friends to beg me and I agreed to join them,” Buawe said.

He said the gang arrived in Lagos without a specific target and eventually settled on a duplex in Ijedodo after ID allegedly concluded that its occupant must be wealthy.

“He just said that we were going to Ijedodo to look for any rich man. We were walking when ID suddenly stopped in front of a very beautiful duplex. He concluded that the owner of the house must be very rich,” he said.

Woman abducted at gunpoint
Buawe said ID and another member, identified as Alfred, entered the house while he and Obosi kept watch outside.

The gang later emerged with the woman and took her into a nearby bush.

According to him, the victim began shouting for help as they approached the bush, prompting a passer-by to intervene.

Buawe alleged that ID pulled out a gun and fired into the air, forcing the man to retreat.

“I was almost running away, but ID cautioned me,” he said.

How N21m ransom was collected
Buawe said ID took charge of negotiations with the victim’s family while the woman remained in captivity.

He said the victim was initially reluctant to eat and survived mainly on biscuits during her three days in captivity.

“When we exhausted the foodstuffs that we had with us, we checked her phone and transferred N150,000 to a POS operator around Ijedodo and collected it in cash from the POS,” he said.

On the third day, according to Buawe, the gang received the ransom after negotiations with the victim’s family.

He said the family initially offered N16 million, but ID rejected the amount and eventually secured N21 million.

The gang also demanded and received a bottle of Eagle Schnapps, a power bank and one kilogramme of frozen turkey.

Buawe claimed his share was N1.5 million.

“I did not even use the money for any tangible thing because the amount was small,” he said.

He added that he later had a disagreement with ID after they returned to Ondo State.

“I told him I didn’t want to go with him again. He thought I wanted to set him up,” Buawe said, adding that he handed over one of the victim’s phones to a Hausa Bureau de Change operator, who had yet to pay him.

‘I needed money to marry’
For Obosi, popularly known as Tommy, the decision to join the operation was allegedly driven by his desire to raise money for marriage.

The 37-year-old said his mother had encouraged him to settle down and marry, while his grandfather advised him to return to their hometown in Agadagba to find a suitable woman and raise money for the wedding.

Obosi said he eventually proposed to a woman but was required to secure the approval of her elder sister.

It was during that process, he claimed, that he met ID, who was the husband of the woman’s sister.

According to Obosi, ID later discovered that he lived in Lagos and recruited him into the kidnapping operation.

“He said he wanted me to be translating Yoruba language to other members of the gang whenever the gang abducted a Yoruba victim,” Obosi said.

“I only agreed to follow them for the operation because I needed money to marry as soon as possible.”

Obosi said he received N2.5 million from the operation but alleged that ID later collected N200,000 from each member of the gang after they returned to Agadagba.

Police vow to hunt fleeing kingpin
Confirming the arrests, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the command had intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing gang leader.

She said the three suspects remained in police custody and would be charged to court after the completion of investigations.

Adebisi urged members of the public with information that could assist investigators in locating ID to report to the nearest police station.

“There will be no hiding space for criminals in Lagos State,” she said.