In the past, kidnapping was only targeted at wealthy and prominent citizens or in more recent cases, pupils and students, prompting kidnappers to ke
In the past, kidnapping was only targeted at wealthy and prominent citizens or in more recent cases, pupils and students, prompting kidnappers to keep their victims alive to extract the maximum ransom possible.
But now, the insecurity in the country has risen to such an alarming state that ordinary citizens who do not necessarily draw any attention to themselves are now victims of kidnappings.
More worrisome is the fact that these recent pockets of kidnappings now take place in cities and not in remote villages, as is the case most times or in isolated places.
A recent incidence which took place in Lekki has proven more than ever before that everyone is danger regardless of whether you are in the South, East, West or North.
On Friday October 8 precisely at about 11pm, a young man who will be simply be referred to as John Doe, luckily escape from kidnappers dressed as mobile police officers in Lekki area of Lagos.
The young man who was on his way home was stopped by these men who were stationed at by Konga house. The men who were donned in some sort of black police attire wearing police caps, beamed their flashlights at him to stop his car.
As the law abiding citizen that he felt he was, he stopped thinking it was some sort of police check. There was a black car parked by the side of the road that had some of their comrades by it. Two of these pseudo-police guys approached his car and asked for his papers. He showed them.
Then they asked to check his boot. He flipped open the boot but they insisted that he should come out and follow them to the boot so they could inspect it. He obliged. Still thinking nothing was amiss. He had only his laptop bag in his car-boot anyway. Afterwards, they told him to follow them to the police station.
He asked why but they shouted him down. Trying not to cause trouble, he obliged. When they now asked him to give him car keys that they would rather drive, he began to sense that something was amiss. Still, these men who were about five in number or more surrounded him.
So he released the keys and sat with one of the fake officers in front while another one sat behind. They signalled to the other guys to follow them in the other black car.
At this point, John Doe knew that these men were up to something sinister. He felt that dread that crept into your spine when your life is in danger. His brain went into overdrive. His survival instincts kicked in.
Just then they were approaching a street with about over seven men standing by the side. A white car was slowing down and coming from the opposite direction. He knew then, it was now or never. He grabbed the steering and swung it sharply to the left ensuring he bashed the oncoming white vehicle.
He knew if he could bash that vehicle hard enough to make it stop, it would draw attention and the owner would have to stop and the usual road melee would happen. That quick thinking on his part saved his life.
Immediately he crashed into the vehicle, the guy at the back panicked, leaving behind his flashlight and face cap, he opened the door and dashed off. The black car following behind sped away without a backward glance. He now had to wrestle with the guy in front.
John Doe in grey trousers, used all his strength to lock the guy with his legs around his neck. Some men standing by the roadside now came to his rescue and that is how they caught the guy and carried him to the police station.
The person who recorded the video was the owner of the car he bashed.
Luckily, he didn’t sustain any bodily harm But the trauma of that day is not something one can easily shake off.
One now has to be careful with these so-called police stops at night or even at noon.
Whatever you do, never step out of your car at night on a lonely street where police officers are doing car particulars inspection.
This is now their latest strategy
John Doe remembered reading that the chance of surviving in a car crash is better than when you’ve been kidnapped and taken to their den.
Please beware! It was John Doe on Friday, it could be anyone tomorrow.
