Suspect: Chika Richard Nwabiarijie
"we kidnap victims from Imo State, take them to Rivers state …"
Suspected
leader of a kidnap syndicate that abducted the Managing Director,
Naija Plaza Hotel, Oguta, Imo state and a pregnant woman and killed
them after collecting ransom from their relatives, has been arrested by
Policemen attached to Ilemba Hausa division in Lagos.
The
suspect, Chika Richard Nwabiarijie, who hails from Omoku Local
Government Area of Rivers state, was arrested in a hotel around Ojo
area, in the company of his wife.
26-year-old Richard, reportedly
fled Rivers state to take cover in Lagos, following the arrest of
other members of his gang by the Imo state Police command.
The
kidnappers numbering six and clad in Military camouflage as gathered,
stormed the hotel located in Oguta, on February 24, 2013,where they
killed two mobile policemen attached to the hotel during exchange of
fire, before abducting their victim,one Emeka Aseme.
Unfortunately,
the lifeless body of the hotel manager was reportedly found days later
at Umunoha in Mbaitolu local government area of Imo state.
…The suspect, RichardBefore
he was whisked into the police van, Crime Alert spoke with Richard,
who, however dissociated himself from the abduction of the late hotel
MD, saying other members of his gang were responsible.
But he
disclosed that in one of the gang’s escapades which he partook in, a
pregnant woman was abducted and killed even after receiving a ransom of
N5 million from her relatives.
Hear him: “ I fled from Rivers
to Lagos, to hide when I heard that members of my gang had been
arrested. I swear to God, I was never involved in the kidnap of the
hotel Managing Director. My colleagues did. They went to the hotel at
about 8.30 pm and abducted him. In the process, they killed two mobile
policemen on guard and made away with their riffles. The manager was
brought to our hide out in Rivers state where he was held hostage for
some days before the sum of N2.1 million was received from his
relatives as ransom.
On the day he was to be released, they
blind- folded and drove him out of the compound. But midway into the
journey to his home town, they killed him and dumped his body on the
road.
Our modus-operandi\We don’t just abduct
anybody any how. We must have gathered information on the person’s
financial background before we strike. We operated mostly in Imo state
and our informant there is one Udo. Whenever he got information on
anyone, he would alert us. I would then come from Rivers state and
together with other members, we would be monitoring our target’s
movement and security around the area before going into action.
Sometimes,
we used motorbikes or cars and at other times we use both. We would
intercept the victim with the motorbikes or car and thereafter, order
him/her to come out of the car. If we were operating on motorbikes, we
would zoom off in the victim’s car and head straight for my place in
Rivers,where the victim would be kept until ransom was paid.”
I get N500,000 in each operationAsked
when and how he joined the gang, he replied, “ I was introduced to the
gang by Udo and Uche who are on the run. We met in a bar in Rivers
state and I was tempted because I had no job. Since I joined the gang, I
have gone on operation three times. At the end of each successful
operation, I got N500,000.
The last person we kidnapped last from
Imo state was a man who came on a visit. At the end, my share of the
ransom was N300,000.
“But before then, we had kidnapped a
pregnant woman who was killed after receiving ransom from her
relatives. They told me they usually killed them so as to prevent them
from revealing their identities to the police, since they are from the
same state.
“We manufacture our weapons ourselves in Rivers
state. I promise to take the police to the place. My job is just to
join them to kidnap our target and also to keep watch over them.”
Asked if his wife was in the know, he shook his head, saying he only told her he was bringing her to Lagos for a treat.
How he was arrestedCrime
Alert gathered that operatives at the Imo state Police command swung
into action after the body of the hotel manager was discovered, during
which the leader of the gang whose name was given as Okorie was
arrested.
During interrogation, 35-year-old Okorie who hails
from Amii Igbere in Bende local government area of Abia State but
resides at Adimma House Ibocha Egbema, according to the Imo state
Police boss, Musa Katsina, was discovered to have sneaked into Oguta
where his girlfriend,one Ifeoma, harboured him for three days before
the abduction of the hotelier.
Okorie’s confessional statement
reportedly led to the arrest of four other members whose identities were
given as Onyemuche Chris Ordukwu, a 26 -year-old barber from Obakata
Quarters in Omoku Rivers State; Nze Damian Onyenye, 26 -year- old
graduate from the Institute of Management and Technology, IMT;
29-year-old Ifeoma Ukachukwu, a native of Oguma Oguta and 50-year-old
Ikechukwu Ossai who hails from Oguta as well.
Policemen from
Imo state who reportedly alerted policemen at Ilemba Hausa of Richard’s
presence at the hotel, came to pick him and his wife, Monday, for
onward investigation and prosecution.
