Fresh evidence shows police rescue claim false, Fouani brothers abandoned in Lagos creek by bandits

It was unclear why Mr Hundeyin said the police rescued the foreigners, who were already speaking freely among Epe locals Monday evening.

ADEFEMOLA AKINTADE • June 18, 2024

Fouani brothers[Credit: Peoples Gazette]

The Lagos police command’s spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, has been busted for claiming that a joint task force comprising marine police and the Nigerian Navy rescued three abducted Fouani brothers on Tuesday. Peoples Gazette has reliably learnt that the police played no role in freeing the foreign nationals.

Top police sources, acquainted with the situation, told The Gazette that the Fouani brothers, kidnapped under the Third Mainland Bridge on Thursday night by six bandits, were abandoned around 11:00 p.m. on Monday at Orugbo Waterside, a village near Epe in the creeks where community members found and took them to the Oloja of Epe’s palace.

The palace alerted the police about the matter around 2:00 a.m. and later handed the freed Fouanis over to police the same morning.

The sources told The Gazette that they could not tell whether or not the naval tactical squad played any role in rescuing the hostages from the kidnappers’ lair, given that it was community members who found them in a boat on the creeks.

It was also unclear whether a ransom was paid to the bandits to set free the Fouanis in the creeks of the Orugbo community, where they were found.

Amtar Fouani, 37, Abbas Mohamed Fouani, 40, Hassan Fouani, 29, and two Nigerians, Emmanual Autai, 43, and Ridwan Badari, 31, were all found in the creeks and handed over to the police.

The Fouani brothers, who sources confirmed were unharmed in captivity, were later taken to their apartment at Ocean Parade Towers Banana Island by police officers Tuesday.

Information from police sources corroborated a post by social media user @masudayeola, who tweeted pictures of the released Fouani brothers around 11:00 p.m. on Monday and tagged X handles of Mr Hundeyin and the police to call their attention to the matter.

“@BenHundeyin @PoliceNG Sir, three kidnapped expatriates and 2 indigenes were just dumped at Ebute-Oriba, Epe LG as of this evening,” @masudayeola posted. “Please they are still there as of writing. This is a cry for rescue.”

In the pictures and videos shared by the X user, no police officers were in sight.

It was unclear why Mr Hundeyin said the police rescued the Fouanis, who were already speaking freely among Epe locals Monday evening.

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