How kidnappers abducted their mediators

NINE members of a gang of notorious kidnappers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, revealed how they abducted two supposed mediators  between them and the husband of one of their victims.

The nine suspects:  Daniel Gabriel; Akeodi  Adelemi , Ayinbimitei Livinus  Alaso Igodo, Anikunka  Anikunka, Biebele Elijah  Daniel Lesson, Efiye Anda  and Isaac Reuben  were arrested by the operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team led by Abba Kyari, a Chief Superintendent of Police.

Some of the exhibits  recovered from the syndicate include: one AK47 rifle with bridge no.0731, four AK47 magazines with 42 live ammunition, four face masks and the syndicate’s operational vehicle; a green Mazda Salon car.

It was gathered that the arrest of the gang members was as a result of the confessional statement from 33-year-old Gabriel, who was arrested last week by the IGP team at Navy Market, Borokiri, Port Harcourt.

The suspect was alleged to be responsible for most of the kidnapping cases recorded within the GRA Phase 2, Port-Harcourt main town, Borokiri General Area and YKC axis of Woji and as he confessed to about 15 Kidnapping cases in Rivers State.

One members of the gang confessed to have abducted  Onyeka Ani and Pastor Okezie Akara, who had both gone to pay the ransom after the wife of a prince was abducted, according to police sources, on 10th of August, 2016, where the gang kidnapped one Reverend Mrs Luis Ubah of 18 Creek Road Port Harcourt and one Chika Ezenwa, an engineer of No 9, Belgium Avenue,  Egbelu Onyi-Igbo, Rivers State.

According to investigations, Mrs Ubah and Ezenwa were both abducted in Ubah’s shop and then whisked away to  Indoki Estate Waterfront, but on their way, they had an encounter with a team of policemen and  opened fire on the policemen, injuring one inspector known as David Ijosi, and one Corporal   Dike Ledee in the process.

The policemen got hit by bullet on their legs and necks as the kidnappers escaped with their victims into the Isaka creeks in Okrika, from where they demanded a ransom of N50million from families of the victim.

Mrs Ubah’s husband, Bishop Prince Ubah, pleaded with the kidnappers and the ransom was reduced to N2.8million.  He sent two of his brothers; one Onyeka Ani and Pastor Okezie Akara, to take the ransom to the kidnappers on August 25, 2016.  But when the duo got to the drop-off point, they were abducted by the kidnappers, who released, Mrs Ubah and Ezenwa, and demanded another ransom of N1million from Bishop Ubah before his brothers would be released.

Sources confided in Sunday Tribune that the sum of N750, 000 was eventually paid to the kidnappers to free the mediators.

In order to forestall another episode, the money was dropped off at Idoki Waterfront before their victims finally regained their freedom.