A 27-year-old man identified as Kenneth Abatai Handsome has been accused of masterminding a wave of sexual assaults, kidnappings, and robberies through the popular dating app Tinder in Lagos and Abuja.
Victims Lured, Assaulted, and Robbed
Investigations by SaharaReporters revealed that Kenneth preyed on unsuspecting men and women by posing as a wealthy, charming suitor.
Victims recounted how he sometimes paid for flights to lure them into meetings, only for the encounters to end in assault, robbery, and in some cases, severe physical injuries.
A disturbing video obtained by SaharaReporters shows one victim confined to a wheelchair after being stabbed in the legs, while others were left with severe injuries, including broken eyes and brutalised bodies.
Several victims told SaharaReporters that they were blindfolded, beaten, and forced to surrender their bank details before being stripped of valuables worth millions of naira.
A survivor said, “He lures victims to hotels under false pretences. Once there, he rapes them, steals their belongings, empties their accounts, and brutalises them. Many victims have been left traumatised and scarred for life.”
Arrests and Mysterious Releases
Sources confirmed to SaharaReporters that Kenneth has been arrested multiple times, including on November 17, 2024, but was mysteriously released.
Victims allege that a lawyer and certain police officers at the Lagos State Command Headquarters, Ikeja, facilitated his release despite mounting evidence of his crimes.
SaharaReporters learnt that the scale of Kenneth’s operations spans both Lagos and Abuja, with several victims, male and female, coming forward to share harrowing accounts of being duped, assaulted, and robbed after falling for his carefully staged traps.
Victims’ Horrifying Testimonies
One of the victims, Motunrayo, told SaharaReporters that she first met Kenneth at a police station in Ikeja when her friend went there to report someone who had defrauded her.
According to her, Kenneth persistently asked for her contact details, and she eventually gave him. He later called her, visited her apartment in Lekki, and afterward took her to his own apartment in Lekki Phase One.
Motunrayo explained that Kenneth had promised to take her out on a date, but instead introduced her to a man who pretended to be a waiter. The supposed waiter claimed to know her.
“The man said I was the one who took his friend to EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission). I told him I had never in my life encountered the EFCC, but he insisted. Kenneth, who was supposed to defend me, did not—he acted like he knew the man,” she explained.
Motunrayo said that at that point, she realised Kenneth and the so-called waiter knew each other. When she tried to send her location to friends secretly, both men noticed, attacked her, and beat her up.
“They raped me. Kenneth was the one who did it,” she said.
She narrated that after the assault, they stole money from her bank account, tied her hands and legs with chains, and kept her in another apartment.
In that apartment, she met another young woman who had also been kidnapped. Eventually, more victims were brought in, four women in total, making them six victims altogether.
Motunrayo said they were held for two nights. Their captors blindfolded them and played loud music on repeat to drown out any possible cries for help. Luckily, one of the victims, Debbie, was not tightly blindfolded and managed to free herself.
She then helped untie the others, and they cried out for help until neighbours in the apartment complex came to rescue them.
The police were contacted, and the victims were taken to Ikeja Police Command.
Kenneth and his accomplice were later arrested and charged in court.
But Motunrayo said the case took a strange turn. Although the men were initially remanded, she later discovered Kenneth was out on bail under suspicious circumstances.
“In February, a friend told me she saw him on Tinder. I was shocked. We thought maybe he still had access to a phone from prison, but he even made a video call looking fresh and free,” she said.
Later, she and other victims learned in court that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had issued legal advice since February, which Kenneth’s lawyer allegedly used to secure his release on bail from the high court.
According to the victims, they were not informed about it.
Motunrayo said she has since seen multiple online posts from people claiming Kenneth scammed or robbed them after his release.
“The judge even warned us that if we see him outside, we should run because he is dangerous. But why is he still roaming free?” she lamented.
She added that she and other victims are traumatised, unsure of where to turn for justice, and now considering petitioning human rights organisations to intervene.
Another young woman, identified as Jetty, told SaharaReporters how she was stabbed, robbed, raped, and brutalised by Kenneth and his gang.
“I swear to God, I don’t even know where to start. I’m really crying now because how I ended up in this situation is unbelievable to me. I used my own phone and money to order a ride to a place where they raped me, robbed me, stabbed me, and took all my belongings,” she said.
According to Jetty, Kenneth and his gang usually disguise themselves by carrying school bags. She explained that one of her friends’ brothers invited her to a party at a “penthouse” in Ikeja.
“As I got there, we were just gisting (having conversations). To my surprise, the guy who invited me was not in the apartment. It had been set up for Kenneth and the others,” she said.
Jetty said Kenneth claimed to know her.
“He told me he knew me. I said this was our first time meeting and asked where he knew me from. He said I was Rebecca, but I told him I was not Rebecca, that my name is Jetty.”
She recounted how Kenneth suddenly came close, dragged her wig, and accused her of setting him and his friends up with the EFCC.
“I told him I had never had any encounter with the EFCC in my life. He slapped me so hard that I started bleeding from my nose. Then he said, ‘You think I’m joking with you?’”
Jetty narrated that Kenneth brought out three knives, pushed her onto the bed, stripped her naked, and tied her hands and legs.
“He told me to cooperate and demanded to know who I had been chatting with. He collected my phone, forced me to unlock it, and threatened to stab me if I didn’t give him the correct password. While I was pleading for my life, he hit me in the eye and told me not to look at his face,” she said.
The gang reportedly used her phone to transfer ₦100,000 from her Access Bank account to a PalmPay account, even though she had over ₦2 million in her Access account.
“They changed my password, removed my Face ID, and reset my iCloud. A boy came back from the bathroom, and the next thing was that they both raped me, even though I was already stabbed.”
She explained that she was tied up until the next day, at which point she lost hope of survival after overhearing the gang make disturbing calls.
“They were talking to one of their friends who had drugged a girl and cut off her private parts because that was what a herbalist told them to bring. They tied my face and mouth so I couldn’t scream,” she said.
Jetty added that another victim was also lured into the apartment after the gang texted her friends using her phone, pretending she was sick and needed help.
“As soon as her friend came, they did the same thing to her. When we noticed they had left, the three of us tried to untie ourselves. I wouldn’t wish what I went through in that room on even my enemies,” she said.
She explained that the gang used her phone to borrow money from multiple lending apps, emptied her bank account, and withdrew the funds through a POS operator.
“The hotel later claimed they didn’t know the people at the reception. The police promised to carry out a thorough investigation, but in the end, nothing was done,” she said.
Jetty expressed frustration over the lack of justice.
“You know, when you don’t have money and don’t know people, nothing will be done. I tried involving everybody, even the DSS (Department of State Services), but they did nothing. I eventually got tired because I couldn’t do it alone,” she lamented.
Victims, Lawyer Demand Justice
All the victims are demanding the re-arrest, prosecution, and conviction of Kenneth Abaitai to prevent further victimisation of innocent citizens.
A lawyer representing some of the victims, who requested anonymity, told SaharaReporters that Justice Oyindamola Ogala released Kenneth at a time when the case was already before another judge.
The lawyer said, “He was released on May 11 by Honourable Justice Oyindamola Ogala.
“Yes, it was a shock to everybody. In fact, the victim had engaged a lawyer who went to the High Court to apply for his bail. That was how it happened.”
Efforts by SaharaReporters to contact Kenneth for a reaction were unsuccessful, as he did not answer several calls.