The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ‘notorious’ kidnapper

  • Commercial driver held for allegedly stealing Evans’ exhibits

    A 27-year-old commercial driver, Mashudu Rabiu, yesterday appeared at an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos for allegedly stealing three articulated vehicle carcases recovered from notorious kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, aka Evans.

    The police charged Rabiu, whose residential address was not provided, with two counts of conspiracy and stealing.

    Prosecuting Inspector Raphael Donny alleged that the defendant conspired with others at large, and stole three trailer carcases valued at N10. 5 million, which were recovered by the police as exhibits from the kidnap kingpin.

    Read also: Alleged murder: Danish is police’s prime suspect, says witness

    Donny said the defendant committed the offence on December 10 last year at 3am at Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

    He said the defendant conspired with the guard and stole the carcases.

    The defendant, he alleged, was arrested in Katsina and brought back to Lagos to face his charges.

    The offence, he said, contravened sections 287 and 411 of the 2015 (Revised) Criminal Law of Lagos State.

    Chief Magistrate B. O. Osunsemi admitted the defendant to N2 million bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    She said the sureties must be employed with evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government and have their addresses verified by the court.

    Osunsemi added that they must live within the court’s jurisdiction and adjourned the case till March 23.

  • IGP operatives kill notorious kidnapper

    •Arms, ammunition recovered

    A notorious kidnapper and militant, Prosper David, aka ‘Militant-General’, was on Wednesday killed by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) called Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

    He died during a gun battle with the operatives at his hideout in a creek in Bayelsa State.

    An AK47 rifle, a magazine, 26 rounds of live ammunition, four expended ammunition and one Nokia phone belonging to his victim, with which a ransom negotiation was done, were recovered from his hideout.

    Although the kidnap kingpin had surrendered arms and enrolled in the Federal Government’s amnesty programme, it was learnt that he ran a militant group secretly and collected between N1 million and N2 million from each vessel passing through Nembe creek to the high seas.

    The police arrested three suspects, including the kingpin’s driver, Johnson Denis, who carried one of his phones, Benjamin Johnson and Anthony Joshua between February 21 and March 14.

    The Nation gathered that the police had been trailing the notorious kidnapper since last December, following the abduction of a businesswoman, Tina Bob-Manuel.

    A police source said ‘Militant-General’ and his gang kidnapped the woman on November 22, 2017 in her shop at 107, Nvuigwe Road, Woji,  Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    They reportedly went there in an ash Honda Pilot car around 1:30pm in police uniform and kidnapped the victim.

    The source said the kidnappers collected N6 million and $1,000 ransom in two instalments before they released the woman on February 21 in Odua Local Government.

    He said the victim’s family first paid N2 million and $1,000 on December 1, 2017, but with the refusal of the kidnappers to release her, another N4 million was paid them on December 14, 2017.

    With the release of the victim, it was learnt that the police swooped on the kingpin’s driver, with the assistance of a phone inside his Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle  (SUV).

    He was arrested and he led detectives to ‘Militant-General’s’ home at Victory Estate, Azikoro in Yenagoa last December, but the kingpin, it was gathered, had moved his family. He then went underground.

    Confirming the incident, police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said: “After about 90 days of painstaking intelligence gathering, with assistance from the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), the suspect was traced to his rented apartment at Asiri in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    “On sighting the police, he ran into the ceiling from where he engaged operatives, but he was shot dead. Efforts are on to nab other gang members and recover more arms.”

  • Rivers lawmaker is a member of my gang, alleges ‘robber’

    Rivers lawmaker is a member of my gang, alleges ‘robber’

    A suspected notorious kidnapper, robber and murderer, Justice Oti, aka High Tension, has alleged that a Rivers lawmaker  is a member of his gang.

    Oti, an indigene of Odisama in Ahoada East Local Government,  who was born on March 7, 1993, admitted being a member of Icelander cult, saying he killed 15 members of a rival Greenlander cult.

    He said yesterday in Port Harcourt that he killed because members of Greenlander killed over 15 Icelander members.

    Oti, who embraced the amnesty offer of the Governor Nyesom Wike administration, said he did not completely surrender his arms and ammunition, adding that  Greenlander members never submitted their guns, but only deceived members of the amnesty committee by surrendering sticks.

    The suspected kidnapper, who was arrested in Bauchi State, said he killed people during reprisals.

    He was, however, silent on the roles played by the Rivers lawmaker in his gang.

    Oti said when his deputy,  Lucky aka Iron, was killed by the rival cult and his head was cut and taken away, with the Greenlander members threatening to also kill him, he escaped to Bauchi State after hiding his AK-47 rifle and ammunition in his village.

    The police command has written to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, to release the Rivers lawmaker for interview by the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS), headed by Mr. Akin Fakorede.

    The letter, obtained through a source close to Police Commissioner Zaki Ahmed, was dated October 9, with the command indicating that it was investigating cases of kidnapping and murder in Ahoada East Local Government involving Oti and members of his gang.

    It also indicated that inviting the Rivers lawmaker was to facilitate the command’s investigation, with the Speaker asked to release the lawmaker for interview with the commander of F-SARS on October 12  at noon.

    The legislator was contacted for his reaction through his mobile line, from 6:44 pm., but he did not pick his calls. An SMS sent to him was not responded to last night.

    Ahmed said his command had zero tolerance for crimes.

    Also paraded yesterday was Blessed Francis, a 20-year-old 200 level Geology student of University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), who was arrested in Port Harcourt for alleged burglary and robbery, barely three months after another UNIPORT undergraduate, Ifeanyi Dike, was arrested for alleged ritual killing. He is still standing trial.

    A gang of an alleged three gun-running youths, comprising two ND-2 students of Rivers State Polytechnic, Port Harcourt, Frank Nwaaknma, 22, from Ibaa, Emohua Local Government and Ujie Francis, from Obudu in Cross River State, was  also arrested.

    The third member of the gang, Chigozie Junior Koro, 32, from Ogbakiri in Emohua Council said  he and Nwaaknma only wanted to assist Francis (Ujie) to sell for N100,000, a pistol he claimed to have picked during a communal clash in his village, with a promise to give them N10,000, before they were nabbed by the police.

    A 27-year-old suspect, Daniel Okpougo, an indigene of Edoha in Ahoada East Local Government, who was arrested with ammunition, alleged that High Tension (Oti) killed his uncle and he travelled to Patani in Delta State to buy bullets to avenge his death, before he was arrested on East West Road.

    Others held for crimes include Loveday Opi, an indigene of Egbema in Ogba/Egbeme/Ndoni Council and Sunday Didia, who hails from Egbeda in Emohua Local Government, both in Rivers State, as well as Kingsley Ofomata from Imo State, John Elvis, an indigene of Auchi in Edo State and Chimankpa Ukomwa from Orlu in Imo State.

  • Suspected ‘notorious’ kidnapper arrested in Okota

    Suspected ‘notorious’ kidnapper arrested in Okota

    •Four held for alleged robbery

    A MAN described as a notorious kidnapper has been arrested by the police.

    Solomon Chuwkudi alias King Solomon was arrested yesterday after his Okota residence was discovered to be a cell for hostages.

    Chukwudi, who was on the wanted list of the police, was caught after a victim described the house to the police.

    Arrested with him during an undercover operation were three other men.

    Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni said a victim was trailed to the suspect’s 46, Canal View Street, Okota home.

    Besides, Owoseni said his men arrested four suspected armed robbers at Epe, and rocovered a cut to size pistol from them.

    He said: “We have made some commendable breakthroughs in the past two days. Policemen foiled a group of vicious armed robbers led by one John Ibafo from attacking people in Ebute Meta.

    “Information was received that the criminals were planning to attack and acting on the information, policemen went to the scene. The hoodlums upon sighting the police, started shooting and fled into the crowd, using innocent people as shields.

    “To avoid hurting innocent people, our men could not fire. They abandoned three of their operational vehicles which they drove to the scene. We recovered AK47 rifle with 22 rounds of live ammunition and three magazines. Also recovered was a revolver pistol and two bottles with figurines inside.

    “We believe those were the gang’s charms which they used for operations. Efforts are on to apprehend the suspects and bring them to justice.”