RismadarVoice Reporters
September 5, 2026
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of a cross-state kidnapping syndicate accused of abducting a businesswoman in the Ijedodo area of Lagos and collecting N21 million in ransom.
The suspects were identified as 35-year-old Semi Buawe, 37-year-old Oluwatomi Obosi and Bamure Telemowei. They were arrested by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit at their hideout in Agadagba community, Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The suspected gang leader, identified simply as ID, remains at large and is allegedly linked to kidnapping operations across several states.
According to the police investigation, the gang planned the operation in Ondo State before travelling to Lagos in April 2026 to carry out the abduction. They reportedly returned to Agadagba after receiving the ransom.
The victim was allegedly held for three days in a bush around Ijedodo before her family secured her release. The ransom reportedly included N21 million, a bottle of schnapps, a power bank and one kilogramme of frozen turkey.
Buawe, a sawmill worker, admitted participating in the operation and said he had been involved in kidnapping since 2010, although he claimed he had decided to quit.
According to him, ID contacted him in April and persuaded him to participate in the Lagos operation because of his knowledge of the city, where he had previously lived.
He said the gang had no specific target when they arrived in Lagos but later selected a duplex in Ijedodo after ID assumed its occupant was wealthy.
Buawe said ID and another gang member entered the residence while he and Obosi remained outside to monitor the area. He alleged that the gang leader later emerged with the female victim and took her towards a nearby bush.
He further claimed that when the victim raised an alarm, a passerby attempted to intervene, prompting ID to fire a shot into the air and scare the man away.
Buawe said the gang leader handled negotiations with the victim’s family while she was held in captivity.
He claimed the family initially offered N16 million, but ID rejected the amount and eventually secured N21 million, alongside other items.
According to him, the gang members received the ransom in dollars,s and he was given N1.5 million.
He also alleged that the gang used the victim’s phone to transfer N150,000 to a Point of Sale operator around Ijedodo after their food supplies ran out.
Buawe said he later fell out with ID after they returned to Ondo State, adding that he handed one of the victim’s phones to a bureau de change operator but had yet to receive payment.
‘I needed money to get married’
Obosi, popularly known as Tommy, said his involvement in the crime was driven by his desire to raise money to marry.
He said his mother had encouraged him to settle down and become responsible, while his grandfather advised him to return to Agadagba to find a suitable woman and raise money for marriage.
Obosi said he eventually proposed to a woman in his hometown but was asked to obtain the approval of her elder sister.
According to him, the sister’s husband was ID, who later introduced him to the kidnapping operation.
He said ID initially told him he would be needed to translate Yoruba for members of the gang during operations involving Yoruba-speaking victims.
Obosi admitted agreeing to participate because he needed money to marry.
He claimed he received N2.5 million from the ransom but alleged that ID later collected N200,000 from each member of the group after they returned to Agadagba.
Confirming the arrests, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the command had intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing gang leader.
She said the suspects remained in police custody and would be charged to court after investigations were concluded.
Adebisi urged members of the public with useful information about the suspect identified as ID to report to the nearest police station.
She assured residents that the police would continue to pursue criminals operating within the state.
“There will be no hiding space for criminals in Lagos State,” she said.
