Killed Ladipo kidnappers: Police identify gang leader, hunt fleeing members

The police have confirmed that a Port Harcourt-based popular Nollywood actor and producer, Prince Henry Ode, was actually among the kidnappers that were killed by detectives from the Commissioner of Police Special Squad at the popular Ladipo Auto Spare Parts market in Lagos State, recently.

According to reports, since the news of the failed attempt to kidnap a wealthy businessman at the Ladipo market broke, detectives have made serious efforts and discreet electronic and intelligence investigations with a view to identifying the nine kidnappers they confronted and neutralised after a fierce gun battle.

It was gathered that the police had continued further investigations after recovering four mobile phones from the pockets of the dead kidnappers, as well as other vital and personal items.

Police sources said that the first shocking discovery made by the detectives was that the two vehicles used by the kidnappers: a Lexus 350 SUV and a Toyota 4 Runner SUV, belong to the actor.

“The two vehicles that were discovered to be their operational vehicles were duly registered in his name.

“Conversely, the two mobile telephones they used for operations were also registered in the name of the actor, but with pictures of two yet-to-be identified young men and fake addresses,” the source said.

The source said apart from that every other information in the documentary information the detectives got were in his name.

It was also gathered that while the detectives are still working hard to unravel the true identities of the remaining members of the gang killed during the encounter, they have been able to discover that one of them is a twin who lived together in one of the suburbs of Lagos State. However, the source said that the twin brother fled from their residence after he learnt of the fate that befell his brother.

This is after a WhatsApp user wrote that he knew the twins and, also, identified five of the killed kidnappers.

The WhatsApp user wrote: “Yesterday was a very revealing and eye-opening day for me. Five members of the kidnap gang were identified, and the shocking part is that two of them live in my immediate environs, and I actually know them from a particular bar I frequent in my area. I was showing the owner of the bar the gruesome videos and pictures, and she suddenly screamed out aloud.

“She pointed to the picture and shouted… ‘don’t I know these guys, Ejima and Odogwu?’ But the bloodied faces did not make me recognise them. She proceeded to unlock her phone and showed me pictures of the guys in fresh clothes when they attended her birthday on the 27th of June, last month.

“I was also at the birthday and my brain just immediately rewound, and I recollected them spraying her mint notes of N500 denomination and I remembered their table that was doused with very expensive liquors. They were the ‘Dorime’ masters of that night.”

It was further gathered that one of the fleeing members of the gang was traced to a popular city in the North, and efforts are in top gear to arrest him.

This is just as another of their popular rendezvous in Lagos has been discovered and detectives are keeping close watch over activities going on there with a view to identifying more of their gang members and arresting them.

Already, the owner of one of the popular beer parlours, where the kidnappers reportedly frequent, is already in the police net and is giving useful information to the police.

It was also gathered that the kidnappers were able to escape police searchlight for that long because they were always fully kitted with military uniform and other accouterments, which gave them easy passage at police checkpoints.

The camouflage uniforms were among items recovered in their cars after their encounter with the police at Ladipo.

Meanwhile, the police sources said executive members of Ladipo market recently paid a solidarity visit to Lagos State Police Commissioner, Adegoke Fayoade, where they commended him and his men for the feat they have achieved in flushing criminals out of the market so far.