Residents of Baale Street in the Ago Palace Road, Okota, Lagos State, said the speedboat used by the robbers, who also abducted Mrs. Toyin Nwosu, the wife of the Deputy Director of The SUN newspapers, Steve Nwosu, broke down for about 20 minutes before it eventually worked.
The abductors were described as robbers by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni. They raided the neighbourhood on Monday before escaping with the DMD’s wife.
Some of the residents said the robbers could have been apprehended if policemen had immediately responded to distress calls and arrived at the area during the delay.
This is just as the robbers were reportedly still insisting on N100million ransom before they would release the mother of four, who was allowed to speak with the family on the telephone on Tuesday.
The robbers, who stormed the area at about 2am, dispossessed residents of their valuables, before making away with Toyin.
It had also been reported that the robbers escaped in a speedboat through the Amuwo Odofin Canal.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Nwosus has been quoted as saying that the family had been able to speak with Toyin, while negotiations were ongoing to make the gang reduce the N100million ransom.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.