Suspected kidnappers yesterday freed a Kogi State High Court judge, Justice Samuel Obayomi.
A source told our correspondent that the judge, who was kidnapped about a month ago on his way to Ebogogo High Court in Adavi Local Government, where he presides, was freed yesterday morning.
Although his abductors demanded N150million ransom, it could not be confirmed if the money was paid.
On the day of his kidnap, his police orderly, Cpl. Usman Musa, was shot dead.
Police spokesman ‘Sola Collins Adebayo confirmed that the judge had been freed.
Pressed for details, he pleaded for time, urging our correspondent to call back.
Months of violence and tension from criminal groups are coming to an end in Imo State as the police and Department of State Security (DSS) tackle the criminals. OKODILI NDIDI reports
Security agents have stepped up to the felons and the people can now sleep peacefully. For a while, such peaceful rest was a luxury that residents of Owerri, the Imo State capital, and environs could not afford. Kidnappers and cultists were about, perpetrating all manner of violence. Rival cultists often clashed in broad daylight, leaving blood and corpses in places that residents could easily see. Kidnapping was also on the increase. The criminals struck fear in the people.
The activities of these dare-devil criminals are more rampant in the oil-producing communities of Ohaji Egbema and Oguta, where they torture, maim and kill innocent citizens daily.
Most painfully, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. Frampton Akpanika, was killed in his apartment.
It is unclear if Akpanika’s murder stirred the security forces into action. The crackdown on cultism and kidnapping has begun to yield result. Over 25 suspected cultists have been arrested in a forest, where they were allegedly holding what was referred to as their national conference, during which new members were reportedly recruited. It was also gathered that the group was fine-tuning their next attack.
The cultists were reportedly nabbed by police in an ambush operation, according to the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austin Evbakavbokun, who was represented by the Command’s spokesperson, Mr. Andrew Enwerem, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Enwerem while parading the bandits at the Command’s headquarters disclosed that the Police acted on a tip-off by concerned residents, who saw them gathering in the forest.
He said, “This group of cultists belongs to the Black Axe Fraternity and they were arrested while holding their national conference in the forest. We have promised that we are going to fight criminality to a standstill in Imo State.
“They are the ones terrorising the state capital and other parts of the state. The command has resolved to fish them out from wherever they may be hiding and to make the state uncomfortable for all criminal elements because since the birds have learnt to fly without perching, we have learnt to shoot without missing”.
Some of the cultists who were mainly between the ages of 19 and 26, said they were in the forest to settle a looming crisis between the two leading cult groups in the state to avoid bloodshed, while others denied that they were just passing through the forest when they were apprehended by the Police.
•The suspected kidnappers
Also, a six-man kidnap syndicate was also busted by the Department of State Security (DSS).
The gang which includes five males and a female, were arrested after they had kidnapped Nnawike Chinaka in Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state.
Parading the suspects before the State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, the state Director of the DSS, Mr. Francis Ejiofor disclosed that the Command has set up a special Taskforce to curb the rising cases of kidnapping in the State.
He said that the operation is beginning to yield result with the arrest of the syndicate and the rescue of the victim.
The Governor commended the recent efforts of security operatives in the state for ensuring that kidnapping and other related crimes are brought to the barest minimum.
He assured that the state government will continue to provide adequate support and partnership to all security operatives to make the state peaceful and crime free.
The state Police Command had also arrested two suspected kidnappers, Ebuka Ibeh and Kelechi Nwogu, from Orsu Local Government Area of the state, who allegedly specialised in the abduction and selling of under-age children.
The duo before their arrest had succeeded in abducting two minors, aged 4 and 3 years from their home before luck ran out of them.
One of the suspects, during interrogation, confessed that the two children, Chigozie and Chukwuka Ezeribe from the same parents, were kidnapped along the road while their mother was out to fetch them food.
He said, “When we monitored and found out that their mother was out we grabbed the children and drove off in a motorbike and took them to where we wanted to sell them to a waiting buyer”.
The rescued children have been reunited with their family according to the state police boss.
The police from Ohuru Isimiri division in Abia State have killed four members of a kidnapping gang.
They also rescued Humphrey Nwachukwu, a worker with a beverage company who was kidnapped near Osisioma, on the outskirts of Aba.
It was gathered that the kidnappers were heading for an exit when they were gunned down.
Four members died as a result of the injuries sustained in the duel which lasted about 40 minutes while others escaped with series of gunshot wounds.
Commissioner of Police Joshiak Habila confirmed the incident. He said it happened at Abala Umuato Village, Obingwa council.
Habila said a Toyota Avensis with reg. ACH 181 AA and a double barrel shotgun was recovered from the gang, adding that the bodies have been deposited in an undisclosed morgue.
He said police had launched a manhunt on the gang and appealed to people with information on how to arrest the fleeing members to provide such for the police.
Determined to make Imo State a safe haven for investors and residents, the State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha said government is working hand in glove with all the Security Agencies to nip kidnapping and other violent crimes in the bud.
Governor Okorocha disclosed this when he visited the Department of State Security Services (DSS) Imo State command as six kidnap suspects aged between 16 and 25 years were paraded.
The Governor who expressed worries at the resurgence of such ugly trend in the State announced that government is battle ready to end kidnapping and violent crimes in the State and assured Imo people that his government shall guarantee the safety of lives and property of residents in the State.
“But let me again warm all criminals, all kidnappers to get out of Imo State because this is not a place for you. We are ready for you,” he stressed.
Owelle Okorocha recalled that 4 years ago before he assumed office as governor, the entire State was traumatized by the activities of kidnappers and criminals until his administration swooped into action to bring criminality to a halt.
The governor maintained that government will continue to demolish houses belonging to kidnappers or any building where kidnap victim is kept, and therefore warned parents and guardians to always monitor the activities of their children and report suspicious movement, to security agencies.
“Any house of any kidnapper or where a kidnapper is found will be demolished and destroyed, more so houses of the kidnappers’ parents will equally be demolished if their lifestyle and means of livelihood does not justify the building,” he warned.
Earlier the Director, Department of State Security Services (DSS) Mr. Francis Ejiofor, explained that the commend has set up task force in the 3 zones of the State in line with the directives of the Director General of the DSS to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The task force, he said has recorded tremendous success in tracking and arresting kidnap cases in the State.
Ejiofor said the men of the State Security Services arrested the six paraded kidnap suspects on tip off while their victim, Mr. Nnawike Chilaka from Nkwerre LGA was freed after being held captive by his abductors for five days.
The suspects are Mr. Suleman Samila, a gate man from Niger Republic and Chinedu Joseph alias Topic from Abia State who was described as the prime suspect. Others are Chigozie Keneth, a Computer Science Student of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Anayo, Michael Uzochukwu and Miss Kosisochukwu, a Secondary School student all from Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State.
Kidnapping, one of the contemporary nauseating problems in Nigeria, is believed to be rooted and restricted to some parts of the country. However, BISI OLADELE and TAYO JOHNSON write that the uncovering of two kidnappers’ hideouts in Ibadan within three months raises the concern that many more dens may exist.
Ridding Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, of dens of kidnappers is fast manifesting as strength of the current leadership of the state’s police command. The command is ripping through the heart of the many operational hideouts of these men of the underworld and weakening their grip on targeted victims across the state.
Penultimate Tuesday, there was yet fresh discovery of another hideout of men of the underworld, sending signals that more kidnappers may exist in the city than contemplated.
The present hideout was discovered three months after the first one was uncovered at Eleegun village near Ajia village.
According to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Katsina, at the first den, police men engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel before they were overpowered. Eight suspects were arrested. Their captive, Chief Adebowale Omotoso, who was kidnapped in Awe, a community near Oyo, was also rescued. Huge sums of money and weapons were recovered from them. The suspects have since been charged to court.
They are Shittu Olaide, Bisi Adetutu, Ajayi Olaniyi, Ayobami Babatunde, Abayomi Oladipupo, Isiaka Kazeem, Femi Alabi and Hazzan Aliyu (who was arrested much later).
The second den is located at a sleepy village of Isase of Ojoku community in Ona-Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State. But unlike the first one, only one suspect was arrested.
Adulterated currencies including Euros, pound sterling and United States (US) dollar as well as charms, statues and cowries were recovered from the hideout. Two Toyota Camry and a Nissan Almera cars were also recovered from the site.
The police boss said the den was discovered through intelligence gathering by his men.
Katsina said: “This place is another basket of criminality and multi-criminal den that accommodates all manner of crimes-kidnapping, arm-robbery, money doubling and other crimes. Here is a place meant specifically for exploiting members of the public. Their victims cut across the length and breadth of this country, some in Abuja, Lagos, Kogi and other states.
“This result was arrived at by my men after a painstaking investigation. You are aware that an innocent man was kidnapped in Kishi area, although the man was later released, but we never relented and this was the place the man was kept for days.
According to Katsina, the principal suspect was arrested but the Headmaster is on the run.
“I want him to know that the world is a circle. If he runs around, the arm of the law will surely catch up with him. I want to appeal to members of the public to be watchful of where they go and people they relate with, whether you are a Muslim or a Christian only God can sustain.
“Our war against crime and criminality in this state is yielding positive results and we will surely find more criminals no matter where they are. I have launched Operation Water Icing which is aimed at assisting us to spread our tentacles to accommodate, dominate and smoke out all criminals no matter where they are hiding,” he said.
The suspect, Ismail Adesina, 43, claimed that he was not a kidnapper but a herbalist and a fraudster.
He said he and his other members of the gang who are currently at large, are involved in producing fake currencies. Adesina said he and members of his gang deceived their victims and extorted money from them.
“I am from Beyeruka in Ibadan. I am a herbalist. I treat people suffering from diabetes, blindness, stomach ache and other diseases. I use herbs to cure them, but when there were no patients, I ventured into defrauding unsuspecting people through diabolical methods. We are three that operate here and we have customers all over Nigeria. The names of my accomplices are Tajudeen Orji and Saheed,” he said.
He confessed to have been involved in the criminal activities for four years, disclosing: “We have duped five people and we charged them between N150, 000 and N300, 000, depending on what they wanted us to do for them.
“Some people do come and say they need a child. Some want promotion in their office. Some may be looking for favour and protection, among others.”
Adegboyega Babatunde, the land vendor from whom the fraudsters bought the land claimed that the suspects bought two acres of land from him about five years ago for N50, 000.
“They claimed that they wanted to buy the land to build a house for traditional medicine until recently that we started seeing some suspicious activities. I will take the land back and refund their money if they want because we do not want evil people in this community,” he said.
Similarly, the Baale of Ojoku community, Chief Moses Adetunji claimed that he suspected the nefarious ýactivities being carried out at the area but was scared of reporting to the security operatives.
As it turned out in the two incidents, the kidnappers are ordinary people that we may meet on the road or may be our next door neighbours. They form a network of fraudsters, herbalists and informants with accomplices in different towns and communities.
shrine
While some specialise in giving insightful information about their preys’ measure of financial ability and their daily itinerary, the real gun-carrying criminals trail the preys until they track them down and kidnap them. Then, another set receive the victims into their hideouts where they are kept for days in an environment specially designed to instil fear in them. As shown in the two hideouts, the den was surrounded by shrines as well as items that convey signs of evil spirits to completely terrify the victims.
They keep threatening and terrifying the victims to enable them prevail on their relations to surrender to the demand for huge sums of money.
The first den was located near Eleegun village, a community of about 10 houses in the remote part of Ajia village. The entire wide expanse of land around the village has been bought by different people who are building residential houses on it. But while some houses are springing up, some new land owners use their parcel of land for farming of arable crops such as maize and cassava. Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) has opened in the village.
The den is tucked about 500 meters away in a parcel of land. With only two houses surrounded by five shrines, kidnap victims are completely cut off from the people.
“They must have been operating at nights. If victims shout, outsiders can’t hear them,” said a resident in the village who did not want her name in print for fear of intmidation.
She added: “Eleegun is a very old community. We have never had any issue of security. We were so happy to see police do the job. We just saw them pass. It was a huge surprise for us. Police never disturbed us just as the criminals never disturbed us. We have been enjoying our peace since then. Maybe, they do come at night, we don’t know.”
Some source revealed that the community had since decided to hold regular meetings to protect it.
“We shall soon begin to hold meetings in order to protect our community,” she said.
According to her, they were surprised to hear gunshots on that fateful day that the criminals were arrested. But she said they believed those shooting were hunters
“We started shouting, screaming and panicking, but we believed the gunshots were those of hunters. It was about 10:00 a.m.
The police didn’t come to ask us anything. They only came later to interrogate us,” she said.
On a close examination, the terrifying items were mere man-made from wood, sand blocks, cement and other raw materials. They are usually designed for the purpose. But victims can’t even fathom their genuineness under the circumstance in which they are held.
With traces of genuine charms and divination which may include a display of magic before the captives, the latter will surely be held spell-bound and in gripping fear about the supposed paranormal ability of their captors.
From the external appearance, none of the houses convey any suspicion of the internal content. Passers-by are most unlikely to suspect that such evil is being perpetrated in such houses. This makes it possible for the kidnappers to easily operate in areas that are scantily populated or even in purely elitist communities where population is very scanty and everyone minds his or her own business, never seeing one’s neighbour or caring about what is going on in the nearby house.
Kogi State Governor Idris Wada yesterday announced a reward of N5million for any person with useful information that could lead to the arrest of kidnappers.
The governor, who was addressing officers and men of the police at the command headquarters in Lokoja, said the action was taken to tackle kidnapping.
Wada, who hailed Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase for the deployment of 350 policemen in the state and the provision of 31 Hilux vans to assist the command in the fight against criminals, announced the donation of five Hilux vans by the state government to the police.
He said the government had released N2.4million as compensation to the families of the 12 police officers, who died in service.
Each family is to receive N200,000.
The governor said the government would assist the police to renovate the A Division Police Barracks in Lokoja, adding that it would allocate land to the command to build a secretariat, a police nursery/primary school and a police housing scheme.
Waku, who hailed the renovation at the command headquarters embarked on by Police Commissioner Adeyemi Ogunjemilusi, promised to provide a conducive environment that would enhance quality and effective policing.
The police boss appreciated the logistic support the command had enjoyed under Wada’s administration, assuring that it would not relent in its efforts to rid the state of crime.
Another ritualists’ den has been discovered on the outskirts of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday.
The den, located at a remote village in Isase area of Ojoku in Ona-Ara Local Government Area, consists of two bungalows, a shrine and an underground tunnel.
Fake foreign currencies, three exotic cars and fetish substances were recovered.
Commissioner of Police Muhammed Katsina led reporters and other security operatives to the den at 1:30pm.
Katsina said: “This place is a multi-criminal den that accommodates all manners of crimes, such as kidnapping, robbery and money doubling.
“Here is a place meant specifically for exploiting the public. Their victims cut across the length and breath of this country, some in Abuja, Lagos, Kogi and other states.
“This place was discovered by my men after a painstaking investigation.
“You are aware that a man was kidnapped in Kishi, although he was later released.
“But we never relented and this was the place where the man was kept for days.“
Katsina added that the principal suspect was arrested but others are on the run .“I want them to know that the world is a cycle, if they run, the law will catch up with them.
“ I want to appeal to the public to be mindful of where they go and the people they relate with. Be you a Muslim or Christian, God is the only sustainer.
“Our war against crime in this state is yielding positive results and we will surely find more criminals, no matter where they are.
“I have launched Operation Water Icing, which is aimed at spreading our tentacles to accommodate, dominate and smoke out criminals, no matter where they are.”
The principal suspect, Ismail Adesina (43), claimed that he is not a kidnapper but a herbalist.
“I am from Beyeruka in Ibadan. I am a herbalist who treats people suffering from diabetics, blindness, stomach ache, and other diseases.
“ I use herbs to heal them, but when there was no sales, I ventured into defrauding people through diabolical methods.
“We were three who use to operate here and we have customers all over Nigeria. The names of my accomplices are Tajudeen Orji and Saheed.
“We have been in this business for four years. We have duped five people and we charge them between N150,000 to N300,000, depending on what they want us to do for them.
“Some people will come to us that they need a child, some want promotion in their office, some may be looking for favour and protection.”
The land vendor, Adegboyega Babatunde, claimed that the suspects bought two acres of land from him five years ago for N50,000.
“They claimed that they wanted to build a house for traditional medicine, until recently that we started seeing some suspicious activities.
“I will take back my land now and give them their money back because we do not want evil people in this community,” he said.
Two suspected kidnappers, Celestine Emmanuel from Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo state and Ibeawuchi Uzo, a native of Ohaozara, Ebonyi state who kidnapped a Catholic Priest, Reverend Father Philip Ojimmadu were gunned down during an exchange of fire with the anti kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command.
The state Commissioner of Police, Austin Evbakhavbokun who disclosed this to newsmen in a press conference Tuesday narrated that the Catholic priest was allegedly kidnapped by the suspects along Odumara in Orodo, Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state while driving his Nissan with registration number: APP 393 CP.
He was said to have subsequently taken to their den at Afor Umuaka where he was kept for a day.
The CP further disclosed that his men who were acting on a tip off swooped on two suspects ,Obinna Mba, 30 from Orodo, Mbaitoli area of the state and Uche Frank, 31 from Umueze, Ehime Mbano LGA in a hotel located at Abayi , Abia state while attempting to sell the Reverend Father’s car.
Upon interrogation he added, the suspects confessed and led the police to where the priest was kept at Afor Umuaka, Imo state.
But the suspects he stressed, opened fire on his men before they could get access to the premises, unfortunately, he added, the superior prowess of his men overpowered two of the kidnappers who later died on their way to the hospital, while other suspects in the hideout escaped.
The Lagos State Police Command yesterday arrested a teacher and two others for allegedly kidnapping a 62-year-old woman, Kudirat Adeboye.
The teacher, Ifeanyi Chukwuleta, Kolawole Alani and Rasheed Adetunji were arrested while their gang leader, Niyi Omosola, was shot dead as he tried to collect N3 million ransom.
The command also said it recovered one double barrel pistol, two expended cartridges and six live cartridges from the suspects.
The Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr Kayode Aderanti, said a complaint was received by the Divisional Police Officer, Akodo Division that the sexagenarian was kidnapped on Eleko/Epe Expressway.
According to him, on receiving the information, he directed the officer in charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), DSP Abba Kyari, to fish out the hoodlums.
He said when the kidnappers contacted the victim’s family, they initially demanded N50 million but later agreed to collect N3million after six days of negotiation.
Aderanti said the OC SARS led two decoy operatives to Epe where the kidnappers re-directed the victim’s son to Ijebu Ode road.
He said: “One of the kidnappers came out from the bush and collected the ransom but was pursued by SARS decoy operatives.
“When he noticed the presence of operatives, he opened fire on them and the police fired back at him and he sustained gunshot injuries.
“The wounded kidnapper, Omosola, led operatives to the forest where we rescued the victim. Omosola died later, but we arrested three more members of his gang”, Kyari said.
Blaming poverty for his foray into kidnapping, Chukwuleta said: “I joined kidnapping because of poverty.
“I am a teacher and a teacher is supposed to be an exemplary figure but when the chips are down, what can a man do?
“My salary as a teacher is too paltry. I start begging for transport money in less than one week after receiving it.
“Whether you believe it or not, I am a good guy who was pushed into crime by poverty.
“My journey into crime was when I met our leader who has been killed by the police.
“My duty was to watch victims in the bush. I will be armed with cutlass and threaten victims that I would kill them if they tried to escape.
“I have watched over three victims, but I wept in the last one, that of the 62-year old woman who put us in this mess.
“When the woman was crying, I just knew she was old enough to be my mother and I started weeping too.
“I now unbound the woman and assisted her to escape.
“May God bear me witness, I did not know that our leader had gone to collect ransom and he was shot dead by the police,” he said.
Yesterday’s supplementary election in Imo State was marred by serious irregularities and low turnout of voters.
At Oru East local government area, where majority of the polling units are located, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were arrested while thumb printing ballot papers in favour of one of the political parties.
Also arrested were fake INEC officials who posed as returning officers at the collation centre.
The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, who was among the INEC team deployed for the election, said that the INEC officials were arrested at Umumma primary school Ward 10 Polling Unit 008, Polling Unit 003 and three others.
At another location, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was shot by hoodlums hired by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when he resisted their plan to hijack election materials.
Another victim and a supporter of the APC, Chief Rex Anunobi, who was kidnapped from his home by the PDP thugs at the instance of a PDP serving Senator, was rescued by a team of policemen led by one of the visiting AIGs.
