‘How I Was Kidnapped, Robbed By Enugu ‘NDLEA Killer Squad’

A Lagos-based lawyer and real estate developer, Mr. Chiedu Nweke, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, and the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Col Muhammad Abdallah (rtd), urging them to immediately arrest a criminal gang operating under the cover of the NDLEA which recently kidnapped and robbed him at gunpoint in Enugu, before it wastes more innocent lives.

Painting a dramatically gripping picture of how he narrowly escaped being killed by the criminal gang in Enugu, Nweke alleged: “I was kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint by a vicious and savage gang of bandits who claimed to be operatives from NDLEA, Independence Layout, Enugu.”

Narrating how he fell into the trap of the criminal gang, Nweke said he flew from Lagos to Owerri en route Enugu and checked into Royale Garden Hotel the same evening, the following day, he said: “I requested the hotel for a taxi and a cream colour Hyundai Elantra driven by one Prince with telephone number 08052138932 was sent to drive me.

“He took me to have lunch at Dolphin Restaurant and dropped me at the hotel. Before dropping me off, I booked the taxi for another trip to buy spiced goat meat soup ‘Isi ewu’ later in the day. At about 7.30p.m, I phoned the taxi to pick me at the hotel to buy the take away ‘isi ewu’. The driver arrived the hotel 30 minutes later, at about 8 p.m.”

He said the driver drove him to Lagos Street and at the ‘isi ewu’ joint at Lagos Street, he reminded the taxi driver that he was buying takeaway and won’t be long. “But 15 minutes later, when I came with the takeaway, the driver had zoomed off. I stood in front of the joint, nervous, anxious and stranded. I called him but he said he had gone to buy petrol.”

 At this point in a state of apprehension and sensing danger, Nweke said he “started trekking towards the petrol station at the junction of Lagos Street and Ogui road to find another transport back to the hotel. Then suddenly, a white Toyota Hilux made a U-turn on Ogui road and stopped in front of the petrol station. Four heavily armed men jumped out of the vehicle in military fashion pointing guns at me.”

Although there were other people there, Nweke said he was singled out. “Their leader, a dark huge man, ordered that I should be handcuffed. I was handcuffed. They never asked my identity or where I was going. Their leader took my wallet from my pocket and my telephone. He said I was a drug baron. I replied that I am a senior lawyer. He said I had only N18,000 in my wallet and that the money was too small. He had taken my ATM cards from my wallet. He asked how much I could raise from the ATM cards, and I replied as much as the ATM machine could dispense.”

According to him, the armed robbers drove him to Zenith Bank at Ogui road near New Haven junction and stopped. “At gunpoint with their leader on my side and one other member of the gang on the other side, I used my Diamond Bank ATM card to withdraw the sum of N160,000 in tranches of N20,000 until all my ATM cards stopped dispensing. The time was about 9 p.m., and I believe the bank ATM cameras would record me with my armed kidnappers beside me.”

He narrated how after leaving the ATM, the leader of the gang ordered him back into the Toyota Hilux, stressing that “this time I resisted and raised the alarm, screaming and calling for help from passersby.  A big struggle ensued between me and the gang. I was stripped naked to my undies in their vicious attempt to force me into their kidnap Hilux. The noise attracted some mobile policemen. I was relieved seeing the police officers. I held on to one of the policemen and asked him to save my life. He promised to accompany me to wherever they were taking me to.

“The policeman directed the driver to go to Fire Service Station Ogui. We got to the Fire Service Station and there was a police patrol vehicle with about five policemen. A senior police officer looked into the Hilux and asked my kidnappers who they were and their leader nervously jumped down from the Hilux and produced an identity the content of which I do not know but which seemed to satisfy the police officer. The police officer then asked what I did but instead of answering, he took the officer aside and whispered to him and exchanged something with their hands. The police officer then directed his men to accompany us to the station.”

Nweke said his ordeal continued in the hands of his captors as he was driven in the company of the policemen across town to independence layout police station and into the office of “NDLEA” opposite the police station.

He said on getting there, “the leader of the gang called the two mobile policemen that accompanied me and gave them something and they all left. At this point, I knew my fate was sealed and that I was in deep trouble. I was taken to a dark point smelling of human faces. I was terrified and peeping and stooling in my underwear crying to the gang to save my life.

“The leader of the gang was busy answering my phone calls and telling my callers to negotiate my release. He warned me not to reveal that I was robbed of any money but to say that I was a “drug baron” who was arrested. He asked for my wife’s telephone number so that he would contact her. He asked where I hailed from in Anambra State, and I said Awkuzu and he said he is my brother because he is from Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State like me. At this point, my phone rang and he picked and I overheard him telling the caller whom he called Amaechi to raise money to negotiate for my freedom.

“He told the Amaechi that if he could bring the sum of N50,000 to Fortuna Hotel, Independence Layout, Enugu, that I would be released to him. Desperate to get the N50, 000, he even used his own phone to call Amaechi to hurriedly bring the money. At this point, the taxi driver Prince who drove me to buy the cooked goat meat called and I was given the phone to answer. I requested him to come to Fortuna Hotel to pick me up. I was driven in a tricycle ‘Keke’ to the Fortuna Hotel and dumped near the gate.

“Not long, the taxi driver arrived at the scene. The gang leader told him that I claimed to be a guest at Golden Royale Hotel but he said nothing. Moments later, taxi driver and Amaechi arrived and exchanged something with the leader of the gang. The gang leader said he would release me to Amaechi and not to the taxi driver. This I believe was a mere pretext to deceive me. I was driven by taxi driver Amaechi back to the hotel to end my ugly ordeal in the hands of the killer gang. All these I believe are a grand set up by an organised gang of bandits operating in Enugu.”