Armed men, who were later discovered to be kidnappers, struck at about 7pm on December 4, 2014, in Ikorodu area of Lagos, and their operation was allegedly facilitated by another man identified as an herbalist.

The kidnappers, who operated in a Toyota vehicle, veered off its lane in a commando-like manner and blocked a vehicle.

Two armed men reportedly jumped out of the vehicle and ordered its lone occupant, later discovered to be the Managing Director of a popular hotel around the area, to come down, and they whisked him away.

They reportedly took their victim identified as Durodola Muwalu to a shrine in Imobi, in the Ijebu waterside area, where they kept him for a week before they relocated him to Imoru, all in Ogun State.

From their hideout, they made a call to their victim’s family demanding a ransom of N60million. The amount was later reduced to N10million when it became obvious that the family was not forth coming with a reasonable response.

Unknown to the kidnappers, operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS , Ikeja, were keeping tab on every telephone conversation, consequent upon which they (operatives), swooped on their hideout in Ijebu-Ode , on December 15, 2014 , where four of the suspected kidnappers identified as Felix Ikuomola, Gbenga Popoola, Adebayo Akibu and Azeez Olowu were arrested and their victim rescued.

However, during interrogation, the suspects disclosed that they were hired by one of the traditional rulers in Itokin area of Ikorodu, whom they named as Oni Adekoya, aka Agbogidi .

They further revealed that Muwalu, the victim, was later discovered not to be the actual target after all, stating that their actual target was the owner of the hotel whom Adekoya accused of giving other chiefs cars but left him out.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the development to our correspondent in a telephone chat and added that the matter was still under investigation.