ABDUCTORS have struck in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, snatching away the wife of Nigeria’s former ambassador to the United States, Gen. Oluwole Rotimi (rtd).
Mrs. Tayo Rotimi was grabbed in front of her company, AOP Logistics Limited, on New Ife Road at about 6:30pm by four armed hefty men. She was leaving the office after the close of work.
The kidnappers are demanding N200 million ransom.
Five of the company’s workers are being held by the police, who have launched a search for the abductors.
The home of Gen. Rotimi, a former military governor of the Western Region in Ikolaba, Ibadan, was deserted yesterday.
Oyo State police spokesman Ayodele Lanade said: “It is true the woman was kidnapped on Monday at about 6.30pm.
Our men are on the trail of the criminals.”
It was learnt that the abductors came in a green Nissan Primera car, which they drove in reverse into the company’s gate.
The police said they suspected a foul play, considering the manner the kidnappers drove into the premises and forced their victim into their car .
Lanade said “the incident was different from other cases of kidnapping in some parts of the country because, in this case, we learnt that the driver of the woman was with the abductors when they took her away.
“And we found out that there is a rift between the woman and her workers because she was said to be owing them three months salary and there was agitation by the aggrieved workers.
“In the course of demanding for their unpaid three months salary, some of them were sacked . So, it seems there is a foul play in this case. It’s not in anyway related to other kidnapping cases in Southeast and Southsouth ,” the police spokesman said.
The company’s workers were praying yesterday for the quick release of their managing director. General Manager Mr Omini Ikpi recounted how she was abducted.
He said: “The MD was about driving out of the gate when she was abducted by four gunmen who blocked her with a grey Nissan car. They shot sporadically into the air to scare people away.”
Ikpi said at the time of her kidnap, Mrs Rotimi had her bag containing two BlackBerry phones, a laptop and other valuables. Her shoes dropped when she was being dragged away from her black Prado into the kidnappers’ car.
“Immediately she was kidnapped, Egbeda police station was contacted and they brought a patrol van. I believe there is an informant in this company. The police have arrested three of our security guards and two workers while the investigation is still on going.”
The Chief Security Officer of the company, Mr Usman Illiasu, said although he was not on duty during the incident, he was told by security men on duty that the abductors came with sophisticated weapons.
Illiasu said around 4pm (yesterday), Mrs Rotimi’s phone was called and it was picked by a male voice who said she will be killed if her family members failed to bring N200 million for her to be released.
He said:” The driver of her car has been arrested with other co-workers, and our workers here could not work today (yesterday) and we have all been praying for the safety and quick release of our boss.”