Africa’s youngest billionaire ,Mohammed Dewji who was kidnapped early this month outside his hotel gym has been found. The Tanzanian Simba FC owner is reported to have been found today morning hours dumped at the Gymkhana grounds in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Mr Dewji was abducted by gunmen at the Colosseum Hotel early on 11 October, as he arrived for a morning workout. His family had offered a 1bn Tanzania shilling ($440,000; £330,000) reward for information leading to his rescue.
According to the message from his company METL Group the 43-year-old billionaire was found at 3:15 AM (Saturday)safe and sound however they did not provide details on whither he escaped or freed by his captors.
Africa's youngest billionaire, Tanzanian tycoon Mohammed Dewji, has been kidnapped in Dar es Salaamhttps://t.co/vmiPtbU5zn pic.twitter.com/ItqdMjrfTR
— Forbes (@Forbes) October 11, 2018
The man said to be Africa’s youngest billionaire has been kidnapped by masked gunmen in Tanzania’s main city Dar es Salaam, police say. Mohammed Dewji, 43, was abducted outside a swanky hotel gym where he was going for his routine morning workout. Three people have been arrested in connection with the incident and two of the abductors were believed to be foreign nationals, police added. The motive for Mr Dewji’s abduction is still unclear.
The family of Abducted Tanzanian tycoon Mohammed Dewji’s had announced a Tsh1 billion (Sh44 million) reward for anyone with information on his whereabouts.
However its not yet clear are is captors and the motive behind his abduction.
Mohammed Dewji @moodewji is now back home safely. I have just spoken to him and his father 20 minutes ago. In his voice, he’s the usual Mo. So he is okay. Thank you all for your prayers. God is really great. Going to see him now.
— January Makamba (@JMakamba) October 20, 2018
Are kidnappings common in Dar es Salaam?
By Athuman Mtulya, BBC Africa, Dar es Salaam. The city’s name comes from Arabic, and literally means Abode of Peace. And Dar es Salaam is very safe, in comparison to Lagos or Johannesburg, the main cities in Nigeria and South Africa respectively.
Although Tanzania has seen a wave attacks and abductions of opposition politicians and perceived government critics, this is the first time a businessman of Mr Dewji’s standing has been kidnapped in the country.
Businessmen have never felt at risk of being kidnapped and they often move around on their own. Some may have chauffeurs, but not bodyguards. So Mr Dewji’s abduction has come as a huge shock.
President Magufuli knows who kidnapped @MoDewji. A high profile dollar billionaire just disappears like that? Those are security officers sent by Magufuli who has not liked Mohammed Dewji’s strong criticism of his leadership. #BringBackOurMo
— Robert Alai (@RobertAlai) October 12, 2018