KIDNAPPING TRIAL: NIGERIAN SECURITY OFFICER IN GERMANY NAMES EX-GIRLFRIEND IN COURT

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

A Nigerian security officer resident in Germany, Adekunle Adegboyega Aderinsoye, has told an Ikeja High Court how he allegedly encountered his former girlfriend, Bunmi Mosaku, at a location where he was held after being kidnapped.

Aderinsoye gave the testimony before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos State High Court during the trial of a chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Ganiyu Oyedepo, popularly known as Koko Zaria, and Toheeb Adekunle.

The defendants are facing a six-count charge bordering on alleged kidnapping.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Mrs O. Aluko, the witness said his brief, two-week relationship with Mosaku began in Nigeria before he returned to Germany.

He told the court that Mosaku later contacted him, claiming to be pregnant, prompting him to send her money to support the alleged pregnancy.

However, Aderinsoye said he became suspicious after asking a friend to visit her unexpectedly. According to him, the friend discovered that she was not pregnant.

He said the discovery prompted him to sever ties with Mosaku and her family.

The witness further testified that his suspicions deepened when he was allegedly kidnapped and taken to a location where he found his former girlfriend.

He said the encounter made him begin to suspect that she might have been connected to the incident.

Aderinsoye also narrated how he was allegedly assaulted, robbed of personal belongings and moved between different locations during the ordeal.

He told the court that his captors allegedly took his laptop and wristwatch, obtained the personal identification number of his First Bank ATM card and withdrew money from his account.

The witness further alleged that he was taken to an uncompleted building, where he was asked to pay ₦5 million for his release.

He said a friend eventually paid ₦500,000 to secure his freedom.

The court admitted photographs showing injuries Aderinsoye allegedly sustained during the incident as exhibits A1 to A7.

Identifying the photographs, the witness said they showed marks and injuries around his forehead and eyes, which he presented as evidence of the alleged assault.

During cross-examination, Aderinsoye was questioned about the specific roles allegedly played by the defendants in the incident.

He acknowledged that he did not see the second defendant at the hotel mentioned during the proceedings or at the uncompleted building where he was allegedly held.

The court also heard that the witness later returned to Germany, sought medical attention for injuries he said he sustained during the incident and subsequently made further statements to the Nigerian police.

The prosecution later sought a subpoena to First Bank Plc.

Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until February 9, 2027, for further proceedings.