12th October, 2011
An Ebute-Metta magistrates’ court, sitting at Oyingbo, Lagos State, southwest, Nigeria, has remanded two suspected Kidnappers at Ikoyi Prison.
They are standing trial on a two-count charge of attempted to kidnap and threat to life.
The suspects, Kingsley Onuoha, 30, and Ifeanyi Obi, 32, who were operating from Imo State, southeast Nigeria, were alleged to have called on a Lagos-based businessman, Mr. Nestor Oti, and threatened to kidnap his aged mother if he did not pay some undisclosed amount to their bank account.
Corporal Ishaku Babaji, the prosecuting Police Officer, said the complainant reported the text message to the police at Oko-Baba, Agege, who through monitoring went to Imo State to arrest the suspects.
The offences, police said, are punishable under Sections 227 and 365 of the criminal code cap. C17, Vol. 2, laws of Lagos state of Nigeria, 2003.
Count two of the charge reads: “That you, Kingsley Onuoha and Ifeanyi Obi, on 17 September, at about 9.30pm at Abule-Egba, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully attempt to kidnap the aged mother of Nestor Oti from her residence to an unknown place, in order to prevent the children from having access to her and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 365 of the Criminal Code Cap. C17, Vol. 2, laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.â€
The suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They were granted bail by Mrs. Joy Ugbmoiko, the presiding magistrate, in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties each in like sum.
Ugbomoiko ordered that the sureties must show evidence of three years tax payment to Lagos State government, means of livelihood, must be residents within the magisterial district and must write an undertaken to present the suspects at the next adjourned date.
The case has been adjourned till 7 November, 2011 for mention.
The suspects could not meet their bail conditions and they were ordered remanded in Ikoyi Prison.
—Paul Sanusi