A suspected Lagos kidnapper, Tosin Oke, has pleaded for mercy, saying that he spent his share of random on paying his children’s school fees and other household expenses.
It was gathered that the suspect, who is also known as “Old Soldier,” was part of a gang that abducted an oil magnate on Ado Road in Ajah some months ago.
The oil magnate was kidnapped at his dredging site by a six-man armed gang, and taken away in a speedboat to an undisclosed location through the waterways.
The kidnappers demanded N42m ransom and instructed the victim’s family to convert it to dollars. It was delivered, along with an additional N100,000 in cash.
However, three of the kidnappers – Adelaja Ikuesan, 37, Tosin Oke, 40, and Oluwabunmi Yusuf, 39— were later arrested by police operatives in their hideout after sharing the ransom, following painstaking investigation.
In a video shared by Vanguard, Oke said he got $1,700 as his share of the ransom.
“They gave me $1,700, and when I exchanged it at the Bureau De Change, I received N1.8 million. I used part of it for my children’s school fees, feeding, and saved the rest in my account. I regret getting involved in this; I’m not even sure if I was bewitched into joining them. I don’t understand how I became part of this,” he said.
While expressing remorse for his action, the suspect said: “I honestly regret getting myself involved in this.”
“Even my family members questioned my involvement because they knew I had never been involved in anything like this before. I used to work as an agent for the police in Zone 2. What could have driven me to participate in something like this?,” Oke added.