A police source from the Cross River State Police Command had on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, revealed that no fewer than six persons have been arraigned by the command in connection with the abduction of a prominent man in Calabar.
Some armed men had three weeks ago abducted the man and dispossessed him of N600, 000 at gunpoint after which he was whisked away in a security vehicle and dumped in a location in Calabar, Punch reports.
A police source, who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that a few days after the incident, the man was smart enough to have recognized the security vehicle with which he was kidnapped and thereafter alerted the police who immediately began to trail the car.
However, during the process, a Lebanese man who was never reported to have been kidnapped was discovered and rescued by the police team from the abductor’s hideout.
It was learnt that six suspects including a serving police corporal and the son of a senior police officer had been nabbed by the police and were being questioned .
The source said, “A certain white man was abducted by armed men three weeks ago in Calabar and dispossessed of N600, 000 at gunpoint. He was driven around and dumped at a location in Calabar from where he proceeded to report the matter at the Airport Police Station. The man was smart enough to recognise the colour and number plate of the car the robbers used.
“Last week, which was over three weeks after the incident, the man spotted the car driving past somewhere in town and alerted the police. Detectives swung into action and trailed the vehicle until it was arrested along with the driver. When the driver was questioned, it was discovered that he was not the person that drove the car on the night the victim was abducted and robbed.
“But the driver led detectives to the house of the person who drove the car on the night of the incident. On getting to the house located at the Ekorinim axis of Calabar, the house was cordoned off by our men and the occupants refused to open the door.
“The leader of the police team forced the door open and all the occupants escaped into the ceiling.
“When one of our men kicked a mattress that was on the floor, they first of all saw the legs of a bound man on the floor. Upon release, the man turned out to be a Lebanese who had been kidnapped and a N50m was being requested as ransom. His case had already been reported to the police.
“Six persons were later arrested from the house including a serving Police Corporal with the Airport Police Station who led the operation to kidnap the Lebanese, alongside the son of a retired police officer.”
Confirming the incident on Tuesday, November 4, 2014, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Hogan Bassey, admitted that six persons were currently being investigated in connection with the crime.
“Six persons are being investigated. On Thursday we will address the press on the matter,” he said.
