9 suspected kidnappers nabbed in Rivers

Seven of the nine arrested kidnap gang arrested and paraded by police in Rivers

Seven of the nine arrested kidnap gang arrested and paraded by police in Rivers

Okafor Ofiebor/ Port Harcourt

Nine suspects were paraded on Saturday by the Police in Rivers for participating in the kidnapping of persons for ransom in different parts of the state.

The Spokesperson for police in Rivers, SP Nnamdi Omoni, said the suspects were arrested in different parts of the state by officers and men of the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the Command led by CSP Edward Shadare.

One of the suspects paraded was 22-year-old Bright Williams, who according to the police is the leader of a gang who specialised in using offer of a fake job advertised on Facebook to lure victims.

ohn Ifeanyi aged 23 and Orji Ndukwu were arrested for allegedly kidnapping of One Michael Oladipo, 42 years.

He said the gang was smashed when members of the gang lured one Adele Emmanuel from Delta State to Port Harcourt and held him hostage in a hotel at Obeama, Oyigbo Local Government Area of the State .

Omoni said members of the gang were arrested when Police operatives based on intelligence, stormed the hotel and rescued the victim.

Williams, the Director of the hotel and a female staff were also arrested during the raid.

Speaking to journalist, Emmanuel said he was lured from Delta State to come and accept a job of a Secretary that was advertised online.

But he disclosed that on arrival in Port Harcourt on November 21, 2021, he was kidnapped by his supposed prospective employers, stripped naked and a video was made and sent to his family demanding 20,000 dollars ransom before he was rescued by the police.

But Williams claimed Emmanuel was not invited for a job, but he contacted them through a homosexual hook up site demanding to be linked to a homosexual.

He, however. agreed that they videoed him with the intention of extorting ransom of $20,000 USD from his family.

Williams also exonerated the Director of the hotel and the female staff of any complicity in the crime.

The Director of the hotel also disclosed that the alleged victim and the suspects came to the hotel to drink and had not lodged in the hotel before the Police raid.

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SP Omoni also disclosed that men of Anti-kidnapping unit working on credible intelligence also arrested the Julius Amadi Iyaknayene and Gift Frank in connection with kidnap of one Williams Etuk on September 11,2021 along Igbo-Etche road in Rivers by four armed men.

The Toyota Highlander SUV the alleged kidnappers took from their victim was recovered by the Police.

Police said “In the bid to solve two separate kidnap cases, men of the Anti-kidnapping Unit, working on credible information, arrested the trio of Gift Frank ‘f’, Julius Amadi ‘m’ 37years aka Juju and lyaknayene Udo Philips ‘m’ 32yrs.

“They were arrested in connection with the kidnap of one Williams Etuk who was kidnapped on 11/9/2021 along Igbo-Etche road by four armed men.

The kidnappers took the victim’s Toyota Highlander Jeep after his abduction, but the said Jeep was recovered by the Police at Ukwa in Akwa Ibom State, including one locally made shot gun.

“One of the suspects Julius Amadi (aka Juju), confessed to be a member of the syndicate that kidnapped and killed the Late Army Captain whose decomposing body was recovered at Igbo-Etche Road, sometime last month.”

However, Gift, the wife of Ahie Frank, who was arrested for participating in alleged kidnap of the late retired Army Captain told Journalists she did not know her husband was into kidnapping.

Mrs Gift Frank noted that she wanted to sell the Toyota Highlander SUV to enable her pay somebody that offered to assist her get her husband out of Police net,unknown to her that the Vehicle her husband has been using was stolen.

Mrs Gift Frank, the wife of Ahie Frank says she didn’t know her husband was a kidnapper and took part in alleged kidnap of the late retired Army Captain.

In a related development,the duo of John Ifeanyi aged 23 and Orji Ndukwu aged 24 were arrested for allegedly kidnapping of One Michael Oladipo, 42 years, on October, 3, 2021 at Igwuruta in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers.

SP Omoni further disclosed that the suspects were arrested at Boki in Cross Rivers State and the Toyota Lexus SUV belonging to the victim recovered.

According to the Police, “at about 4.30 pm on November 21,2021, there was a reported case of the Kidnap of one Olaide Oluwaseun, which incident occurred along the Abacha Road, where the victim was abducted and taken to unknown destination. In the course of investigation, operatives of the Anti-kidnapping Unit worked on some clues which led to the arrest of Precious Amadi 27 years and Williams Okon, 20 years who took the Police to their camp at Obeama in Oyigbo Local Government of Rivers where the victim was rescued unhurt on 24/11/2021”.

The victim immediately debriefed and the Police before he was released to reunite with his family.

The Police said the suspects have confessed to the crime, while efforts are on to arrest others and recover their operational weapons.

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