No fewer than 15 masked armed men, dressed in Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) uniforms, alongside suspected thugs, raided Seafortunes Hotels Limited on Ago Palace Way, Okota, Lagos.
According to THISDAY, the incident happened last weekend.
The attackers reportedly tortured customers and staff for hours, looted valuables, and carted away a massive generator set before fleeing to an unknown location.
According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen arrived around 4 a.m., firing sporadically before forcefully entering rooms and demanding to see the hotel owner.
Unable to locate him, they held several individuals hostage for over an hour before using a heavy-duty crane to dismantle and remove the generator.
The Chief Executive Officer of Seafortunes Hotels, Nwukwa Okechukwu Fortune, recounted the ordeal:
“I got a call around 4 a.m. from one of my customers, informing me that some masked gunmen had invaded my hotel,” he said.
“They laid down all our staff and security personnel, then proceeded to dismantle our generator. When they couldn’t find me, they brutalized customers and staff before using a truck to transport the generator away.”
Fortune disclosed that CCTV footage revealed at least 30 attackers—15 in Civil Defense uniforms and masks, while the rest were thugs. Among them was a man identified as Nicholas, who had previous business disputes with the hotel’s former manager, Ogbonna.
Fortune explained that Nicholas, a diesel dealer, had allegedly sold fuel worth N3 million to the hotel under Ogbonna’s management, but was never paid.
After Ogbonna was dismissed, Nicholas sought to recover his debt from the new management, despite being informed that the business had changed hands.
He subsequently petitioned the police, leading to Ogbonna’s arrest and arraignment. However, Nicholas refused to appear in court to pursue his claim.
“Six months later, this armed invasion happened. The attackers, including men in NSCDC uniforms, pretended to be police officers from Area E Command, gaining access to the premises before unleashing terror on our guests and staff. Nicholas was caught on CCTV guiding them to the generator room,” Fortune added.
Following investigations, police traced Nicholas to his residence in Festac, arrested him, and recovered the stolen generator.
Nicholas allegedly identified the NSCDC officers involved, prompting intervention from a senior Civil Defense official, who pleaded for a peaceful resolution.
However, Fortune lamented that despite these developments, Nicholas was unexpectedly released by the police, while the promised Civil Defense officers failed to appear for questioning.
“The invasion crippled our business. Customers fled without paying their bills, some lost valuables and our operations were halted for a week due to the stolen generator,” Fortune said.
Lagos NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Seun Abolurin, denied any official involvement of the Corps.
“We have no report of such an incident. People impersonate security agencies all the time. The hotel management should report the case to us for proper investigation,” he said.
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