10 new tricks kidnappers use to lure

victims
11th September 2016

Some kidnap suspects. Photo: File

By punchng
MOTUNRAYO JOEL writes about some of the methods kidnappers employ to trick
their victims

Reports of kidnapping have become common in Nigeria. Though not a new

trend, kidnappers have continued to devise new methods to lure victims.
Below are some of the new tricks to watch out for:

 Ploy at parties

In this method, a note is dubiously passed to the master of ceremonies

requesting the owner of an identified vehicle to come out and move his or
her vehicle to allow others parking access. Immediately the individual gets to
his car, the kidnappers grab the person and zoom off in the car.

This was what happened to Mr. Remi Olakunri who was kidnapped at a party
venue in Lagos some months ago.

Olakunri, who drove an SUV to the venue, heard his car’s number plate called
out by the emcee, requesting him to step outside to move his vehicle. As
Olakunri got to his car, three men grabbed him and forced him to drive off in
his vehicle. Over N1m ransom was paid before his abductors released him.

 Road blocks

The modus operandi of kidnappers includes mounting road blocks on

highways in military uniforms and staging a surprise attack on unsuspecting
motorists.

An All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant in Ondo State, Victor

Olabimtan, was abducted by gunmen after he declared his interest to contest
the state’s governorship election.

 Switching off generators

When kidnappers identify a house that is easily penetrable, especially at

night, they locate where the electricity switch box is and disconnect the
power source. They wait for any of the occupants to come out to check what
might have happened. In the process, he or she is kidnapped. They may also
switch off generator to lure their target.

Mr. Tunji Ajayi who resides in Agbado/Oke-Odo Local Council Development

Area of Lagos State could have fallen victim but for his suspicion.

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He said his generator was switched off after some persons gained entry to
his compound. He told our correspondent that when they noticed that he
didn’t come out after they had waited for hours; they walked out of his
compound.

 Pretending as relatives

The ninety-year-old father of Mr. Oluwole Adalumo, who owns a hotel in

Ikole, Ekiti State, Ajagunna Adalumo fell victim to this technique. He was
kidnapped from his house at Oke-Ijebu, Ikole Ekiti. Bimbo Ajayi, who is a
relative of the victim, said the kidnappers came into the premises of the aged
man around 8pm. Ajayi said a man entered the house of Pa Adalumo under
the pretence that the victim’s son sent him to the old man. He later drove
him away in a car he brought.

 Lifts

As much as many would want to offer help to persons in need, giving

strangers a lift could be a wrong move. There was a report last year of one
Mrs. Abike Lawal who visited a popular shopping mall in Lagos. As she was
about to leave, she noticed that one of her tyres had been slashed.

In her disturbed state, a friendly, well-dressed and articulate young man

showed up like a knight in shining armour to help her. After assisting her, he
asked for a ride to where he said he parked his car. Without waiting for her
response, he entered the car but the woman suspected foul play and
excused herself to buy something.
She went to a security guard and told him what happened. The security
guard went with her to the car but the young man had left.

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In 2013, a report by Sheriff Deputies Limited, a private Security Company in
Nigeria, stated that the South-West had the highest incidence of kidnapping
with five per cent, followed by the South-East and South-South with four per
cent each.

It noted that North-West and North-East each had an incidence of three per
cent, with the lowest being North-Central at two per cent.

The Lagos State Police Command said between January and June this year,
there were 19 cases of kidnappings.
The spokesperson for the command, Dolapo Badmos, told SUNDAY
PUNCH that 15 suspected kidnappers had been charged to court.

Badmos also said culprits involved in robbery and pipeline vandalism had
turned to kidnapping.

She added that some of the communities vulnerable to kidnapping are those
close to waterways, because kidnappers could quickly escape with their
victims without encountering an immediate chase by residents or security
officials.

A security consultant, Mr. Bunmi Odukoya, said kidnapping of Nigerians had

increased.