A suspected armed robbery and kidnap gang, who specialised in raping female victims and kidnapping of rich lawyers as well reverend fathers who keep church money in Enugu, Imo and Abia states, has been smashed by the operatives of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team(IRT).
A source revealed that the public complaints on the incessant kidnap and robbing of residents in the three states with impunity made the IGP to direct the commander of IRT, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Abba Kyari, to smash the gang.
When Abba kyariโs special squad swung into action, 16 members of the notorious kidnapping gang, who unleashed terror on residents of these states, were arrested like fowls.
The source also revealed that during the week, five cars and 10 mobile phones belonging to different persons, kidnapped by members of this gang as well as one Ak47 rifle, one pump action gun, five locally made pistols and cartridges, were recovered from the suspects.
The source further revealed that members of these gang, who specialised in rapping their female victims and whose operating camps were located in Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State, were rounded up after IGP Adamu received countless complaints about their activities.
Sources at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, also disclosed that the Abba Kyari-led IRToperatives were deployed in Aba town. The dreaded operatives moved in following discreet intelligence reports, to track down and dismantle the kidnapping network of members of this gang. A three-week operation was launched by the IRT operatives, which resulted in the arrest of 16 members of the dangerous gang.
The names of the suspects arrested are: Nwazuoke Ijima, a.k.a XX, Maduabuchukwu Amamba, a.k.a commander; Eze Chikwe a.k.a Afo; Chinoso Amadi; Chimeremueze Benson, a.k.a Atuma; Ugochukwu Uzoma; Ifeanyi Sylvanus a.k.a.Pigeon; David Nweke a.k.a Rugged; Ikechukwu Erondu; Abraham Nna; Chijioke Azuka; Ugochukwu Obi, a.k.a Muchocho; Iwejo Chibuna; Ohasonu Sunday;Nwachukwu Stanley and Godswill Ihemere. a.k.a Ojaba, including their gang leaders, were all rounded up.
The suspects confessed to several kidnappings, including that of a Reverend Father, who reportedly paid N400,000 for his release.
One of the gang leaders, Maduabuchi Amamba, a.k.a. commander, 30-year-old and a native of Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State, in his confession, said: โIโm not married, but I have a fiencee who had a child for me. I am a kidnapper and I started early last year and it was my friends, known as SS, Muchocho, Ojaba and Stephen who lured me into crime.
โI met these boys at Umugbede area of Osisioma area of Aba,where we were smoking Indian hemp and cocaine. I started taking cocaine when I met my friends.
โHowever, before I met these my friends, I was a vigilante man working at Nkpor area of Anambra State. I did that for about one year. It was my friend, Chiemeka, that introduced me into this business. My father was sick and there was no money to treat him. Then, Chiemka a.k.a Niggar, took me to the joint where I met my other friends.
In Januray 2019, we went for a robbery at Amafife area of Osisioma, where we robbed a woman coming back from her shop and we snatched her bag.
โNiggar said he had been monitoring the woman for a long time. We were four that went for the robbery and we found N350,000. We went with two pump action guns, which I was using as a vigilante operative in Nkpor. I took 75,000 as my share.
Later, we kidnapped the daughter of Chisom Ugbenna, a 32- year- old doctor and intellectual giant. The woman resides at Imaculate area of Aba. It was someone residing in the area, known as Chucks, who brought information about the woman. We kidnapped her when she was trying to drive into her compound in a Toyota Highlander jeep. We were five in number that went for the operation and we took the woman to Ojabaโs house at Amokpoife in Osisoma area. The person who brought the job for us said that the woman was so rich that she could afford to pay N20million. Then, I called her husband and demanded N20million but surprisingly, the husband said he would pay only N500,000, but he ended paying N2million before his wife was released .
โIt was Ifeanyi, watching over the woman; who raped her. I was not initially aware that Ifeanyi raped the woman, he was the one looking after the woman at the camp, but after the ransom was paid, I got information about what he did. I asked him and he confessed that he actually slept with the woman four times.
โI became annoyed with him for what he did. So, I deducted 40,000 from his money as a punishment; I gave him just N120,000. We then sold the womanโs vehicle to one Sunny, who resides in Imo State, for N400,000. I got the sum of N280,000 from the whole operation. We then kidnapped a lawyer in January 2020 on Obingwa road in Aba and we took him to Ekaru area of Osisioma.
โWe stopped the man along the way while he was driving; we blocked him with our own vehicle. He spent three days with us in our camp. I slept with him for just one night. I left the camp and went home because I got news that my father was dead.
โI later learnt it was Godswill that was beating the victim. I negotiated for the ransom and I demanded the sum of N1.5million because I needed money urgently for my fathers burial. Unfortunately, the man paid us the sum of N200,000 and I got N34,000 as my share.
My friends later took the lawyerโs car and sold it. I was not aware that the manโs car was sold at the time we kidnapped him. It was after our arrest that I learnt that. I also attempted to kidnap a man driving a Toyota Avalon at Obingwa area of Aba but the man sighted us and ran away. We left with his car and I sold it to Mr Sunny for N200,000. We later kidnapped a man at Opkulumuobo, driving a Lexus 330. We traced the man to his house. The time was 9:00pm; we followed him to his gate; we kidnapped him and took away his vehicle.
We also sold the manโs vehicle for N300, 000 but the man ran way from our camp. We later discovered that it was the people that worked with with us who allowed the man to escape .
โHowever before then, โSSโ had seized my rifles and ran away with it, but I got another friend, Onye, and he gave me a rifle I was using. I called โSSโ and I asked about my rifle; he asked me to come back but, unfortunately when I went to him, I was arrested by the police.โ
Another suspect, Nwazuoke Ejima, also a native of Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State, said: โI am 33 years of age. I am from Umuoyeringwa in Osisioma area of Aba. I have only primary school education because I have no father. My father died while I was still very young and my mother is just a farmer. I learned panel beating, but my master chased me away because I couldnโt pay him. I went back to the village and there was a man called Fabian who taught me how to become a kidnapper in 2017.
โHe kidnapped the first person in Isialangwa. I followed them with my bike and we kept the man at Egbede village at Osisioma. I didnโt know how much that was paid as ransom but I was given N20,000.
โThe second operation was around Umuahia Expressway. It was in the nigh; they kidnapped a man and I was given N5000 for my role. However, I stopped working with him because he wasnโt giving me good money .Then I had no choice than to leave him and find my way.
โLater, I got a locally made pistol and showed Fabian. He said what I had was a toy. He then brought his own, which was an AK 47 rifle. We then kidnapped a man at Isialangwa and I was given N40,000. I then bought a pump action for N400,000. I became very angry with him. I left and formed my own gang. It was Ojaba that helped me form the gang. He called me after he was released from the prisons, but he didnโt tell me how he got my number but he told me that he had two people who had two pump action guns; I met him and two others at Amakife.
โI also met commander and Nigge and gave them the job at Immaculate. We kidnapped a woman and we took away her car. We dropped the woman at Amakife. The woman paid N2million and we sold her vehicle. One of us slept with the woman.
โI got a total of N390,000 because I cheated my gang members. We also kidnapped a man at Isialangwa, who is a lawyer. We kidnapped another man at Ariaria Junction. We took the man to my village in Amakifie and kept him in the bush. The man paid N500,000. I collected the money and ran away with it. I used the money to buy a pump action gun for N480,000.
โI used my pump action gun and that of commander to kidnap a man, who was coming out from his shop at Opkurumogbo. I later I heard that the man ran away. We also kidnapped a Reverend Father, Obinnna; Mushosho, Sky and I; we kidnapped the reverend father at Umuka area of Abia State and took him to Nekaro village. He spent four days with us and we took N400,000 from the manโs family. While we wanted to sell the fatherโs vehicle, we had an argument in the vehicle, because the fatherโs phone was missing and we we were looking for it. In the process, we had an accident with his vehicle and Obinna left his phone in the vehicle, while we were trying to escape.
โOn January 1, 2020, we went to kidnap a man at Ariaria road. I went with one Chinonso and Victor, and we went with a pump action gun, a pistol and a double barrel gun. We blocked the man with a car; we kidnapped a man and a woman; they were carrying three people. They kidnapped the first person with a lexus and used his vehicle to kidnap the man and the woman driving an Infinity vehicle. We abandoned the car and took the three of them to Umuokiri and kept them in an abandoned building.
โWe then left all the victims with my boys but in the morning, I learned that SARS came, attacked and killed two of his boys and they rescued the victims. The next day, I started calling one Chinonso. I didnโt know he had been arrested and I wanted us to go for another job.
โI was at Toyimas junction when the police came to arrest me. I gave them my gun and I promised that I will not do it again. I know that the people I have are bad criminals.โ
Suspect Eze Chikwe, a 35-year-old member of the gang and also a native of Umumba area of Osisioma town, said: โI have just a child . I am a truck driver and I attended only primary school. It was my friend, Federal and Ik, looking for money to bury his father. Then I brought out my late fatherโs gun; then we kidnapped a man. I was given N50,000 and that was all I have done with gang. I met them at Omuma where they were doing oil bunkering. Then, we became friends They asked me to go, that when ever they needed me, they will call me but last week, Ik called me and when I came, I was arrested.โ
Suspect Ugochwuo Obi, aged 24 aka Muchocho, a native of Umuigwe village also in Osisioma town, on his part, said: โI attended primary and secondary schools and I went into trading .
โLater, I bought a bike and met one of my friends from Lagos, Eberechi, who is over 40 years. I used to move around town and some times, he used to carry his gun, which he would conceal in a bag of rice. I used to take him to friends and when they returned. they will give me N20,000. He later had problem with his gang and he said I should join his gang. We kidnapped a man at Ideku area. It was Eberechi and I that took the man; we blocked him and took him. We took the man away and he paid us N600,000. I got N100,000. Three months later, we kidnapped a man at Umuimo junction in Osisioma and he paid us N3000,000 but we went to Ikakpara in Opkokoro to rest. My third job was with โSSโ. We kidnapped a man not knowing he was a reverend father and he paid N400,000. We picked another man from Umuimo and he paid us N400, 000.โ
Suspect Obinna Alozie, aged 27 from Ossioma Ngwa LGA in his confession, said: โI attended only primary school and learned how to fix tiles. It was in October, 2019 that my brother, Ojaba, who was living with us, that brought a kidnapped woman to our house to keep, that lured us into this kidnap job.The lady spent four days in our house and I was given the sum of N70,000.โ
