Former KPL star wanted by police for kidnapping

[Courtesy]

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers are pursuing Congolese footballer, Patient Lukige, who is wanted in Kenya for attempted kidnapping.

Lukige is said to be on the run after he allegedly extorted Sh120, 000 from Wazito Sporting Director Solomon Alubala.

The former Kenyan Premier League star was demanding ransom after he allegedly held Alubala’s two-year-old son for hours until the family parted with the cash early in the week, The Nairobian has learned.

According to close sources, Lukige, who parted ways with the National Super League money bergs, Wazito in June 2018, kidnapped the minor as compensation ‘revenge’ — as he demanded part of the money ‘owed’ to him by the club.

The Congolese left the then struggling Wazito on mutual consent following a tough season as the NSL side went through a tough financial period at the tail end of the 2018.

Since his departure from the then KPL side, before Wazito was relegated to the NSL at the end of the 2018 season, the tough street life forced Lukige to revert to unorthodox means of raising funds to travel outside the country for trials in Europe.

With a change of fortune at Wazito, barely a year after he left, following the acquisition of the club by Dubai-based businessman, Ricardo Badoer late 2018, the talented Congolese turned to the family of his former boss as a mean of raising quick cash.

Lukige, who at one point was housed by Alubala, is said to have sneaked into the compound before taking away the kid . He would later demand Sh200, 000.

After a lengthy negotiation, the two parties agreed on Sh120,000 ‘ransom’ before the ‘kidnapper’ released the minor. Police said the kid was found at the Roast House next to Koja-Stage in Nairobi CBD.

“He wanted to extort money from me. He demanded Sh200, 000, but I paid him Sh120, 000. The matter is with the CID now,” Alubala told The Nairobian on the phone.

The Nairobian also understands that the Congolese was set to depart the country for trials with a team in Macedonia.

According to one of the officers handling the matter, Lukige was last seen (tracked) on Waiyaki Way before he went off the radar and the detective suspects he was sneaking out of the country.

“We last tracked his phone record along Waiyaki Way but he went off the radar. We are pursuing him and very soon he will be arrested,” the officer told this writer.

The case was reported at the Industrial Area Police Station under (Occurrence Book (OB) Number-OB65/27/3/2019.

Lukige is currently attached to NSL side Fortune Sacco and was even in action against his former side during the SportPesa Shield cup last weekend.