My fellow Nigerians, please help me make sense of this story.
A British man of Nigerian origin, Andrew, has been accused of a serious crime involving the kidnapping of two young women he had invited to his place in Aba. This complex and troubling case began on May 7th, when a missing persons report was filed at a police station in Aba. The report accused Andrew of kidnapping the two women he had invited via social media to spend the weekend with him. The two women in question are from different countries: one is from Ghana, and the other is Nigerian. It’s unclear whether the Ghanaian girl was living in Nigeria at the time or if she traveled specifically for this meetup.
Andrew had been in communication with the Nigerian girl, who then requested that he pay both of them NGN 1 million for their visit. While there is no written agreement from Andrew confirming this payment, at least not in the text messages that have been reviewed, the two women still made the trip to Aba as arranged by Andrew. Shortly after their arrival, they were reported missing.
On May 7th, the police visited Andrew’s house to question him about the whereabouts of the women. Initially, Andrew refused to allow the police entry. The police, aware that Andrew was armed, took precautions and surrounded his house, maintaining their position until the next day. Eventually, they managed to arrest Andrew and handcuff him at 3 AM on May 8th. During this confrontation, Andrew was sending messages to others to inform them of his situation.
After securing the situation, the police did not immediately transport Andrew to the police station. They remained at his house until morning, possibly due to safety concerns about traveling at night. When they finally did move Andrew to the nearest police station, they decided to transfer him to the state capital for further investigation. Andrew remained in jail for two weeks, up until May 25th. By this time, the two girls had been missing for 25 days, and there was still no information about their whereabouts. The police suggested to Andrew and his lawyer that this might be a case of self-kidnapping.
The family of the Ghanaian girl then filed a report with the Ghanaian embassy, prompting Abuja to request that the suspect be transferred to the federal capital of Nigeria. A special team was sent to Umuahia to bring Andrew to Abuja. The Umuahia police, however, demanded a bail of over NGN 1.5 million for Andrew to be granted temporary release. The police accepted the money and then followed Andrew to his house in Aba, where the two girls had gone missing. Instead of transporting Andrew directly to Abuja, they allowed him to collect some of his belongings. The police settled in his house and asked Andrew’s staff to cook for them. After eating, they were ready to leave, and Andrew requested to drive his own car. Surprisingly, the police allowed Andrew, a probable double homicide suspect and alleged kidnapper, to drive his own car to Abuja.
The police from Umuahia, who came with the Abuja team (RRIT), assisted Andrew in loading his car, including his firearm, into the trunk. One police officer rode with him, and they set off from Aba, ostensibly heading to Abuja. However, instead of going straight to Abuja, they decided to drive to Uyo first. The police traveled in a white transit bus, while Andrew drove his Mercedes with a police escort. Andrew was made to cover their logistics, fuel, and food expenses. They spent a night in Uyo, with Andrew footing the bill for their accommodation. After a day, they resumed their journey, but instead of heading directly to Abuja, they stopped in Benue so one officer could visit his girlfriend or wife. They spent two days in Benue, with Andrew continuing to cover all expenses. All this time, the two girls were still missing.
Andrew expressed his frustration, stating that he had spent over NGN 3 million since leaving Aba and had been on the road for four days for a trip to Abuja that should have taken only eight hours. Ultimately, Andrew never arrived in Abuja, as the police allegedly killed him in cold blood for attempting to escape.
This story raises many questions about the conduct and intentions of the police involved and the fate of the missing women. I will write part 2. Please stay tuned.
@bensamuell