Again, 3 policemen, 2 others killed as militants abduct telecom workers

Kidnappers suspected to be militants struck again in Lagos yesterday, this time at the highbrow Ibeju Lekki area, killing three policemen and two others in the process. The incident occurred at Oko-Asagun village in the Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of the state. The kidnappers also abducted five staff of two telecom service providers.   […]

Kidnappers suspected to be militants struck again in Lagos yesterday, this time at the highbrow Ibeju Lekki area, killing three policemen and two others in the process.

The incident occurred at Oko-Asagun village in the Ibeju Lekki Local Government Area of the state.

The kidnappers also abducted five staff of two telecom service providers.           

  It was gathered that the kidnappers stormed the kidnap scene through the Ode-Omi creek, a border town between Lagos and Ogun states and shot dead the policemen attached to an estate developer in the area.

After killing the policemen, the hoodlums also shot dead two community leaders who attempted to resist them.

A witness, a staff of a telecom company, Jude Ajagun, gave the names of the abducted workers as Tayo Jibade and Johnson Ezewudo, both staff of Tydacom Limited; and Tunji Oyebisi, Moshood Akinbambi and Rauf Idowu, workers of Erickson Limited.

Ajagun said: “We were working on a site being developed by one Onoside who contracted us. While on duty we started hearing sporadic gunshots and scampered for safety. I hid beside some blocks from where I was watching the scene. I saw about six heavily armed men, three of them wearing masks, and when they sighted three policemen attached to an estate developer they shot them dead. Two other civilians were also shot while four others were injured. The kidnappers marched their victims towards Ode-Imo. I think the militants are from that side.”

A staff of Erickson, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that they have been keeping vigil ever since yesterday hoping to hear from the kidnappers, but they have not established contact with the company.

He said: “We are expecting a call from them to know what they want as ransom, but they have not established contact with us. We are appealing to the kidnappers to temper justice with mercy as those abducted are innocent of any crime. They should treat them with human face in the spirit of Easter.”

A community leader said the residents and workers there were happy when they saw policemen guarding the newly developed estate, but that the essence of sending the policemen had been defeated.

“We need the presence of a joint security task force and not just a handful of policemen. We are living in fear. Some of us spent huge amounts of money to erect houses here to develop the area, but we can’t enjoy our sweat. Kidnapping has become the order of the day in Ibeju Lekki. The government promised us security but we are yet to see the security. We are appealing to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to wade into the matter and prevail on the state Commissioner of Police and the military to provide us with adequate security as life is no more interesting.

“Our children are being dehumanized by the hoodlums on daily basis. Our life styles have been affected badly. We suggest that the governor request for air bombardment of the creeks as that is the only solution,” he said.