…Police brainstorming
CITIZENS COMPASS– Mass relocation of residents has hit some communities in Ikorodu Division, Lagos State, following the kidnap of two residents; male and female in a fresh attack.
The recent attack occurred on Thursday, May 22, 2025, throwing residents into panic and forcing many of them to relocate from their homes.
As of Sunday afternoon, a cross section of residents said they could no longer sleep with their eyes closed for fear of the unknown.
It was gathered that the recent incident occurred at about 9.p.m when some kidnappers targeted a male resident at Bond Estate in the Igbe-Laara in Ijede axis of Ikorodu Division but when they did not meet their target at home, they kidnapped his wife after discharging gunshots to scare residents.
It was learnt that after the successful operation, they kept shooting into the air to pave the way for a smooth escape into the forest.
On their way, three occupants of a private car ran into these kidnappers who immediately ordered them out of the car.
They were said to have grabbed the pair of trousers of the car owner and dragged him alongside their female victim straight into the forest.
The young man was said to be a real estate businessman and was in the community in company of two other.persons when luck ran out of him.
Three days after the incident, his whereabouts and that of the kidnapped woman could not be ascertained as the kidnappers are yet to contact their families for ransom.
About Igbe-Laara
Igbe-Laara is a border town surrounded by swamp between Ijede Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
The swamp stretches through various Community Development Associations (CDAs) and links the lagoon to the Ajah area of the State.
The major kidnappings in the area were first noticed in Year 2023 and since then, the axis is far becoming a haven for criminal activities as quite a number of residents have been kidnapped either along the road or in their homes.
The kidnappers have deployed various means to get their prey; they may pose as security agents and take position on major roads or break into homes to perpetrate their evil.
Community efforts
For the past two years, nearby CDAs have taxed themselves to clear surrounding bushes but little could they do as this is capital intensive.
Not only this, they have employed the services of local security but this is more of an Herculean task and a financial burden.
Underfunded Joint Taskforce (JTF)
Some years back, the Council Chairman of Igbogbo-Baiyeku LCDA, Olusesan Daini popularly known as Builder Sesan Daini, in his wisdom, volunteered to augment the wages of 50 members of the Joint Taskforce (JTF), a local security in Ikorodu founded to checkmate cultism activities in the area.
With an erudite grassroot leader in the person of Mr Dare Igbasan, popularly known as ‘Agali’, the local security swung into action and gradually, it became a dread to cultism and other criminal element in the Division but little did the JTF know that kidnapping would become an order of the day.
With this occurrence, the JTF appeared to be ill-equipped/funded as it was overwhelmed.
In 2024, the JTF tragically lost some of its members while trying to rescue some kidnapped victims.
Last Thursday’s incident has attracted criticisms from members of the public as it was captured in a viral video.
In the video, the private car belonging to one of the recent victims, a man was captured at the scene of the incident with security operatives were brainstorming as a male voice was describing what transpired at the scene.
Helpless situation
In what appeared to be a helpless situation, a male voice in the video said, “I am currently at Igbe-Laara.
This is my brother’s cat. He was kidnapped in this particular street.
“According to information reaching us, those people went with him through this forest and Police have been here since he was kidnapped last night without results.
“The only thing they do is to keep coming in and going back or staying behind the forest.
“None of them was brave enough to check what was happening in the forest.
“If they don’t know what to do, let them invite those that can do it.
At least,we have hunters in this forest who the Police can work with. Let them go into the forest to see what is happening.
“Since 10p.m last night, there is no result. What type of country is this one? They keep coming in different buses and with different people without advancing, without a tactical plan. Is this how we will continue to live?”
Another male voice also introduced himself as the younger brother to the kidnap victim.
He gave his name as Sulaiman Yusuf Opayemi, saying the victim’s mother was traumatised as information filtered to her.
According to him, “They kidnapped my older brother in Ikorodu, Igbe-Laara to be precise, a swampy area.
“My mother called me at about midnight, we thought it was the usual kidnapping on a business issue.
“He is into a real estate business and has just constructed a building in Surulere which he put up for sale.
“As at the time the Police arrived, there were traces of the torchlight of the kidnappers as well as gunshots in the swamp but the Police were helpless.
“Information at our disposal said he went to the street in the company of two others in his car.
“The kidnappers were said to be operating in the area where they adopted a person.
“They were about to leave the area when they spotted my brother.
“They traced someone to the area but didn’t meet him, so they kidnapped his wife.
“My brother’s car ran into them as they were shooting into the air, so they ordered him and two other people out of the car.
“They held him by the trousers and took him along leaving the two other people.
“He was led into the forest. We have been here since 7a.m, with my mother and sister. Policemen came from various divisions in the State.
Some of them wore uniforms tagged “Tactical Team” but in the real sense, there is nothing tactical about them in the actual sense.
“There was a time I was angry and went to stream live on Tiktok because nothing was done by the Police.
They should do something different, my aged mother has been struggling to survive. She has sight challenges which have gulped her money.
“We don’t have money, we are just struggling to make ends meet.
“Only God knows what my brother is passing through over there.
“How long can we live on insecurity?
“My mother has not enjoyed us, Na so, so problem. My mother cannot survive this. You guys should share this video, if possible, help us tag VeryDarkMan to see if he can help.”
In a chat with Citizens Compass on Sunday, a resident of Igbe-Laara, Madam Feyintola Olomola otherwise called Fentosh said she was making arrangements to relocate from the area as her neighbous have relocated to places like Mushin, Agbado-Ijaye, Surulere and Ajah.
“I am making arrangements for an alternative accommodation. It is better to be a living tenant than a dead landlady.” She said.
In a telephone conversation, another resident, Mr Fatade Obideyi said he had relocated from.Igbe-Laara to avoid the unforeseen. “I have sourced for a temporary accommodation in the Ibeju-Lekki area.“ He said..
It was learnt that the recent incident occurred near Alagemo.
This occurred barely two months after some kidnappers broke into the homes of a landlord and kidnapped him.
Also, they broke into the home of his neighbour and kidnapped a lady.
Citizens Compass reported the incident on March 31, 2025.
Citizens Compass reported that the joint efforts of the Nigeria Police Force and the Joint Taskforce in the area has rescued the victims unhurt.
The kidnappers were said to have gunned down the security dog of the landlord before kidnapping him.
The kidnappers also forcefully gained entry into a neighboring building and kidnapped with a female victim but the collaborative efforts of the Police and local Joint Taskforce, both victims were rescued unhurt after three days in captivity.
The incident occurred on Thursday, Match 26, 2025 at about 2100HRS.
Give us Marine Police—Residents
Some residents who spoke with Citizens Compass urged the state government to deploy a well funded Marine Police to the area.
At press time, spokesperson, Lagos State Police
Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not respond to an enquiry by Citizens Compass.
