Police Declare Two Kidnap Kingpins Wanted

Kano State Police Command has constituted a special squad to fish out two kidnap kingpins, Chinonso JohnPaul Nwaneriaku and Chinedu Michael Ugwu believed to be behind all the kidnap cases in Kano.

The Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Gana told P.M.NEWS in an interview this morning that investigation by the police indicates that Chinonso and Michael are, “criminals behind a series of kidnap cases in Kano .”

The duo have been declared wanted by the police.

According to the commissioner, members of their syndicate who are already in  police net have given useful information on their whereabouts.

Already, the squad headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Ibrahim Mohammed Zanna, has spread their dragnet across the nooks and crannies of the state in search of the kidnappers.

P.M. NEWS also learnt that the police detectives are chatting with the family of Alhaji Salisu Mataba, a Kano business mogul, kidnapped and released within the week, for a tipoff on how to track down his abductors.

Alhaji Mataba who gained his freedom after allegedly paying a ransom of N80 million kept the police in the dark during his travails as he heeded  the instruction of the kidnappers.

He was dropped off at his house at Kurna Babalaye by a commercial motorcyclist 24 hours after his abduction when the kidnappers had collected the ransom.

P.M.NEWS also learnt that the police have commenced aggressive raiding of all the identified criminal hideouts across the state, including Zango and Gunduwawa where it has been established that Kano kidnappers camp their victims.

“We don’t want to take chances, information reaching us indicates that Chinonso and Chinedu have fled Kano to the South East; but we are working out modalities with the police in the South East to track them down. They are wanted by the police and we shall do everything possible to get them and make them face the law for the psychological trauma and economic loss they have inflicted on innocent citizens in recent times,” Gana declared this morning.

P.M.News recalls that last Wednesday, Odinaka Ejiaku, 23, Ifeanyi Ugo, 38, and Amarachi Ugo, 20, were among nine kidnapping suspects paraded by the police in Kano .

They were said to be part of the kidnap syndicate involved in about eight kidnappings in the state recently.

According to the police, the suspects arrested on 2 July at different locations within Kano metropolis were linked with a principal suspect, Nwaneriaku JohnPaul Nonso who is now at large.

“They were believed to be part of eight kidnapping cases reported to the Police in recent times. The cases include the kidnap of Samco, Awaco, Okafor, Oliver, Chizoba, Little Ujunwa Edna and Mrs. Keziah Umeh,”  Gana told newsmen.

The suspects were arrested by plain-clothe police detectives from Noman’s Land Police Division.

—Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/ Kano