Kogi University Student Kidnapped By Facebook Friends

SEVEN months after a post-graduate student of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Miss Cynthia Osokogu was killed by friends she met on social media, Facebook, an undergraduate of Kogi State University, Lokoja, Kogi State, Oludoyi Bamidele Samuel, has been abducted by a kidnap syndicated, facilitated by a friend he also met on Facebook.

Samuel was, however, lucky, as he is alive to tell the story of how his supposed friend, identified as Michael (surname unknown) by the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, lured him from Enugu to Warri, DeltaState.

A kidnap gang facilitated by Michael, currently at large, held him hostage for three days before Police officers from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, stormed their hideout at Uzor Street, Agbarho, and seized three of the suspects.

They demanded N5 million ransom from Samuel’s mother to effect his release and were relocating him to another location when the police pounced on them. Commissioner Aduba gave the names of the suspects cooling off in police cell as Anibor Oghenekparabo, Onoriode Omamowho and Kelvin Orotoma.

Cynthia was killed in a hotel in Festac, Lagos, which she was lured to in July 2012, by her Facebook friends, but the intent of Samuel’s abductors was to extort money from his parents.

Mr. Aduba, who confirmed that Samuel has reunited with his Enugu-based parents said, “He was invited by a friend, identified as Michael, who he met on Facebook for a birthday party in Warri. They have not met face to face before this incident, but have been chatting on the internet. He must have found out his background through his interaction with him on the social media.”

“So, they plotted how to abduct him and make money. Samuel, the only son of his parents, who his kidnappers believe are well to do, left his parents in Enugu without telling them where he was going to and entered a vehicle to Warri. “He (Samuel was discussing with Michael on phone and called him on when he got to Warri, but his so-called friend had ulterior motive. He had arranged with others to kidnap him and Samuel was whisked to a house at Uzor Street, Agbarho, where he was held hostage for three days,” Aduba asserted.

His break came when some persons, who suspected the movement of the suspected kidnappers, got in touch with the police.

The suspects also decoded that their secret had been uncovered and arranged to move the victim, but the police struck at the nick of time.

Commissioner Aduba was, however, disturbed that people could leave their homes to visit so-called friends they met on Facebook without proper security check.

“I do not understand this; I am warning young men and women to stop this behavior. How can you leave your home to go a birthday party by somebody you do not know, all because both of you met on Facebook, this is ridiculous.

“People should help the police by being security conscious. Can you imagine, he left Enugu without telling his parents and the suspected kidnappers were using his phone to call his parents, asking for ransom,” he said.