Emmanuel Udom
(with agency report)
Oba Goriola Oseni, the traditional ruler of Iba
town in Lagos, south-west Nigeria, Friday told a Lagos high court in Igbosere that
his abductors collected N15.1million, out of the N500 they demanded to set him
free.
Oseni
disclosed this during the trial of the four suspected kidnappers arrested by
the police in connection with the abduction of the monarch.
Duba Furejo, Ododowo
Isaiah, Reuben Anthony and Yerin Fresh are the accused who were first arraigned
before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, October 24 in Lagos.
Vicnuel notes that the
suspects are standing trial on an eight-count charge, which border on conspiracy,
murder, attempted murder, robbery, armed robbery, stealing and kidnapping.
The Lagos state government slammed these charges on the suspects.
Adeniji Kazeem, a senior advocate of Nigeria and the state attorney-general
and commissioner for justice, who led a team of lawyers for the state obtained
the leave of court to exclude the public from the trial.
Kazeem told the court that “the accused were part of a criminal
enterprise, therefore, it would be in the interest of justice and the safety of
the witnesses for the case to be closed to the public.”
The court granted his request despite the objections of all the
three counsel for the accused.
Selowei Baidi was for the first and
second accused, Mr J. O. Egwuaroje for the third accused while Anthony Onwueze
represented the fourth accused.
Justice Taiwo in her ruling said
that there was nothing prejudicial about Kazeem’s application and assured the
defence counsel of fair hearing.
She ordered all journalists in court to identify themselves with
their official identification card in order to be allowed to cover the
proceedings.
Led in evidence by Kazeem, Oseni, 73, testified as first
prosecution witness and narrated how at about 8pm on July 16, he was kidnapped
while watching TV in his palace.
Oseni told the court that he was held in captivity for three
weeks in an unknown camp.
He described his abductors, about nine, as shirtless, heavily
armed men wearing only black trousers.
“This is the king,’ the gunmen said. I asked them, ‘what can I
do for you?’ Then they grabbed me. I was in only a boxer because I was
preparing to take a bath.
“My Oloris (Queens) came in and asked them where they were
taking me to but they fled when the gunmen released some bullets in the decking
of the room,” Oseni told the court.
He said the gunmen dragged him out of the palace and shot
sporadically, in the process, killed his security guard and a motorcyclist.
He said they demanded N500 million ransom but his family paid
N12 million and then another N3.1million to another group of the kidnappers, totaling
N15.1million following which he was released.
The Oba’s son, Prince Kazeem, who testified as the second
prosecution witness, said he delivered both ransom money of N12m and N3.1m to
the abductors at a canal near Igbehinadun in Iba.
He said they negotiated the ransom from N500m to N40m but they
couldn’t raise that amount, especially after the government refused to pay any
ransom.
The militants, he added, gave him directions to the drop off
point on phone after warning him not to tell anyone.
Justice Taiwo adjourned the case till Nov.18, following a
request by the prosecution for time to present more witnesses.
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