How we escaped from assassins - Victims

By Adebayo Waheed updated: Tuesday 06-10-2009


The security man with matchete
wound on his head.Recently, about six suspected hire assassins visited a couple with the aim of terminating the life of the husband, Alhaji Mufutau Alaka, who is the Managing Director of Albak Nigeria Limited, but for the quick intervention of the policemen from Oyo State Police Command.

Crimes and Security learnt that the suspects had visited the Felele and Apata homes of the couple but unfortunately, they did not meet their target, who was in far away Saudi Arabia, where he had gone to perform the lesser hajj.

Narrating her ordeal when the unwanted visitors visited her Felele residence, Alhaja Serifat Olanike Alaka, who is the first wife to the Alhaji Alaka, said that the suspects had arrived around 12-30 a.m.

“We were in the bedroom when I heard a gun shot and before I knew what was happening, four hefty men, carrying guns, had entered the compound. I ran into the toilet, put on my trousers.

“They were shouting that Alhaji should open the door for them and warned that if he failed to open the door and they found their ways inside, they were going to waste his life,” she said.

According to her, it was when there was no response from Alhaji that they called me to open the door “if you don’t want to die and I answered them, please, I am coming to open the door.

“They now drew the glass of the window and collected my handsets. They asked me to open the door for them. But instead of opening the doors for them, I hide in one of the toilets. They were still calling me to open the door. I did not answer them.”

She said that it was at that point that they broke the window and entered through it into her bedroom.

“They started looking for me; they searched every part of the room. They later found me inside the sitting room toilet. They used the gun to hit me on the head; they slapped me several times,” she added.

She said that three of the suspects later took her to her bedroom where they collected N400, 000 and jewellery worth N600, 000 from her.

She said after collecting the money and the jewellers, the suspects then asked for her husband and a document which they said was kept in the man’s wardrobe. “I told them that my husband was not around that he had travelled out of the country in the last three weeks. They said I was telling lies that I should lead them to Alhaji’s room,

“They beat me for allegedly telling lies about my husband before they forcefully opened the wardrobe. They ransacked everywhere. They took some of his luggage and some wrist watches and digital camera,” she said.

Alhaja Alaka said that the suspects insisted that there was a document inside the room and they searched everywhere and that it was when they could not found it that they went to Apata where the other wife resided.


The wardrobe that was
ransacked by the assassinsShe said, “They took me to the compound and asked me to take them to other flats and I told them that we were the only occupants.

“Really, they did not cover their faces, they spoke Yoruba language fluently. They were up to six,” she said, adding that “the suspects macheted the security guard as I saw blood stains everywhere.”

Narrating her ordeal at the Apata residence of Alhaji Alaka, Alhaja Titilope said it was her neighbours who, when they sighted the suspects, informed her and they immediately called the police who came at the right time before the suspects escaped through the fence.

“They tried to force the burglary open and since the generator was working, I did not know what was happening. They started banging on the door that I should open the door. I immediately called my husband who was not in the country. He said he had alerted the police. In fact, it was the quick arrival of the police that saved us.”

The woman, who claimed that the suspects escaped through the fence, said she could not recognise their voices.

The security guard, Biliaminu Ahmed, told Crime and Security that he was shocked when he was hit on the head, thinking that it was one of her friends that was playing with him, only for him to discover that they were unwanted visitors.

The security guard, who was in charge of security at the Felele residence of the victim, said the suspects did not come through the gate because the gate was locked.

According to him, they came through the fence before they gained entry into Alhaja’s flat where they arrested him.

He said it was after they fired several gunshots which did nothing to him, that they matched him on the head and hand.

Speaking on the incident, Alhaji Mufutau Alaka said he was in Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj when he received a call from one of his wives around 12.30 am that there were armed robbers in the house.

“Immediately she told me, I was disturbed. I didn’t know what to do. I had to call the police headquarters at Eleyele and when they heard the call, they sent signal to State Anti-Armed Robbery Squad (SARS) at Dugbe.

“They went to my residence at Felele where the suspects were operating and they foiled the attempt. The police have done very well,” he said.

Again, that same day, he said around 2.30 a.m. I heard a phone call that the suspects went to my wife’s house at Apata, but they could not gain entry to the flat.

According to him, the suspects were searching for the document of a petrol station I bought.

“They were not armed robbers, but hired assassins, who were sent to come and kill me over the petrol station. The matter had been reported at Apata police station and I want to believe that the Police Commissioner is aware,” he said, while commending the efforts of the police boss and the policemen attached to the state police command for their prompt response to the distress calls.

When contacted ,the police boss confirmed that the incident was reported and that policemen were on the trail of the suspects. http://www.tribune.com.ng/06102009/tue/crime2.html