Abuja kidnapping: I’m an armed robber, not kidnapper — Suspect

Suspected kidnapper, Chinaza Philip-Okoye, who was arrested by operatives of Kaduna police command while he and his gang members were taking a kidnapped victim, Segun Akinyemi from Abuja to Kano State, has claimed to be an armed robber and not a kidnapper.

Philip-Okoye disclosed this to newsmen during an interview during a parade of criminal suspects at the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, on Wednesday.

According to him, “I want to categorically state that I’m not a kidnapper, I am not a kidnapper. We only patrol at night and collect cars, and we take them to Kano for sale.

“That night, our aim was to rob the man and take his car, but I was surprised that after we collected his car, Yellow, who is like our leader, asked the man to enter the back of the car. I didn’t know why he did that, and I couldn’t argue with him, so we were driving to Kano before the police caught up with us in Kaduna where I was arrested.”

It would be recalled how the Nigeria Police Force had last Saturday paraded Philip-Okoye on a stretcher at the Force Intelligence Response Team base, Guzape, Abuja, having sustained serious injuries after he was shot by police officers following the interception of his gang now at large at a petrol station last Thursday night in Kaduna.

It was gathered that the police were notified of Akinyemi’s abduction when the kidnappers drove through Rita Lori, Garki, and Abuja on Thursday night, and all police formations were alerted within the FCT and neighbouring states of Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger, and Kogi, leading to the arrest of Philip-Okoye and the rescue of Akinyemi.