By Tony Edike
The Police in Enugu made a breakthrough over the week when they arrested a five-man kidnap gang that specializes in kidnapping prominent businessmen and personalities within the South Eastern States for which ransoms worth several millions of naira had been paid to them. Members of the gang were intercepted at a police check point manned by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Enugu State Police Command on the Enugu – Onitsha highway Monday evening, the police said .
Interestingly, the gang has already confessed to the kidnap of a prominent Anambra billionaire businessman and Chairman of Pokobros Group of Companies, Chief Paul Okonkwo popularly known as Pokobros at Awka on June 5, this year. They claimed they collected a huge ransom of N70 million from the businessman before he was set free few days later.
The gang also claimed responsibility for the killing of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Central Police Station Awka, CSP Francis Effiong Bassey (44) and a junior policeman shortly after kidnaping Pokobros as well as the kidnap of an Isreali woman married to an Igbo man, Mr. Ezenwa.
Bassey and his wife, Mandy
They also kidnaped a businessman from Ideato, Imo State last Friday shortly after his late father’s funeral and was taken to Ihe town in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State where he was held until the SARS operatives rescued him on Tuesday. One of the arrested persons took the police to the hideout where he had spent about five days while his family was being contacted to pay a ransom for his release.
DPO Bassey, a 1987 graduate of English Language at the University of Port Harcourt was eagerly looking forward to his long expected elevation to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) when he was felled by bullets from the kidnappers.
His brutal killing took place after the 15~man gang of kidnappers who were heavily armed with sophisticated weapons succeeded in kidnaping the Chairman of Pokobros Group, Chief Paul Okonkwo at the popular UNIZIK junction in Awka, capital of Anambra State on Friday June 5, 2009.
They were escaping from the scene when the Police was alerted by their sporadic release of gunfire indiscriminately. Both Anambra State Police Commissioner, Amusa Bello and DPO Bassey reportedly mobilized their men and went in their pursuit. Unfortunately, when the effrontery of the police team became so unbearable to the fleeing kidnappers, they decided to confront the Police.
It was during the ensuing exchange of gunfire that DPO Bassey, a father of four was hit on the eye and the bu
llet pierced his skull. He died before he got to the nearest hospital.
The Police gave the identities of the kidnappers now being detained at SARS operational base in Enugu as Emeka Uzonwanne alias “Chiefo” from Uga, Anambra State said to be leader of the gang; Anayo Okorougbo from Agbor, Delta State; Ogbonnaya Emmanuel Sunday from Obollo-Eke, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State; Kingsley Mammah also from Obollo-Eke; and Chidi Onyechi from Amokwe, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.
“Luck ran out on this deadly kidnap gang while returning to Enugu from Nsukka Monday evening. They had gone to Nsukka to negotiate for a place to keep their captives and were returning to Enugu when SARS men at a check point accosted them. Their rickety vehicle was searched and an incriminating material was found on one of the occupants prompting the policemen to drag them to the station,” a senior police officer attached to the state police command told Crime Guard .
Investigations conducted on the gang revealed that some of their GSM phones contained text messages which suggested that they were kidnappers. One of such messages read: “Don’t bring the kaya to Enugu because Enugu is not safe”. As the policemen were conducting further investigations ,some of them reportedly confessed to have been involved in several kidnap cases within the South East Zone and named some of their victims in the illicit business which has fetched them several millions of naira.
“However, Wednesday morning, one of their phones rang and behold the caller was a relative of one of their victims, the Ideato businessman who was kidnapped last Friday after his father’s burial and kept at Ihe in Awgu local government area of Enugu State. The caller asked the kidnappers to tell them where to pay the ransom earlier demanded as condition for the man’s release,” the source said.
Following the phone call, one of the kidnappers took the SARS operatives to the detention camp where the captive was set free Wednesday. A search at one of their hotel rooms in Enugu, it was further gathered, led to the discovery of some bank tellers indicating lodgments of several millions of naira into some second generation banks.
“We saw bank tellers containing cash deposits of N2.5 million, N3 million, N4 million amongst others,” the top police officer said, adding that the leader of the gang from Uga is currently building a mansion worth millions of naira at his hometown. It was learnt that police recovered two AK 47 rifles and one barretta pistol from the gang.
At the time of going to press, Crime Guard learnt that efforts were being made by Police authorities to parade the arrested suspects at the Force Headquarters in Abuja while other members of the gang are being rounded up. A source close to the family of the slain DPO said that when news of the arrest of the suspects got to the wife, she burst into another round of wailing and gnashing of teeth with her children. Meanwhile, Anambra State Police Command has reportedly completed plans to accord a befitting burial to the slain DPO early July.
GOOD ONE FROM THE POLICE, PLEASE KEEP IT UP UNTILL YOU WE GET RID OF ALL THESE DAGEROUS ELEMENTS IN THE SOCIETY. LOOK AT HOW THOSE SONS BITCH WASTED THE LIFE OF THAT BRIGHT OFFICER. THE FAMILY OF THE RESCUED MAN SHOULD CHANNEL PART OF THE MONEY THEY WANTED TO PAY AS RAMSOM THE NIGERIN POLICE FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE.
@ Kogberegbe… We should be striving to have a nation undivided, irrespective of tribe. People like you i beleive r not involved in this course. Look for better ideas, stop discrimination for you to live longer!
@ SARS, Kudos, keep up the good work. More power to your elbow
I wonder why people are blaming northerners for the problems in their states.
Please you should hold the leaders from your regions for looting, and misappropriating the funds meant for development. Poverty can not be used as an excuse for the widespread kidnapping, killing of innocent civilians. If the south east is more prone to these occurences, then maybe they should look into their culture of love for money no matter where it comes from. When I remember Okija, the drug lords of onitsha contributing to the proliferation of drugs that kill or maim an uncountable number of people
@Jacko i only want to say keep it up infact our major problem today was caused by OBJ and kegberogbe or what does he say his name is could seat in his room talking what he does not know pls he should read nigerian history
i am an hausa man i will never trust yorubas people of two faces of the knife…so cruel,arrogant,sycophant and the worst of all cowards…if obj did not bastardised nig governance why would there be kidnappers in every nooks and crannies of 9ja.the causal agents of kidnapping are failure of nigeria leaders and their evil network to kill and maim sponsored by the elites.one man from yoruba who was glaringly known to had killed ige is still honourable senator omisore of frn??how many people do u know that obj killed secretly,how many ibb killed?how many abacha,how many chimaroke killed?how many was killed by sponsored jihad rioters?now we say police has awaken from slumber…this is just popi!yes that we played during our childhood at wunti gate bauchi.
Kogberegbo or what do u call urself one major problem with u the yorubas is ur mouth and that u abuse every chance given to u i suppose u must be in one of this remote villages in yorubaland.So u hav turned this colume into tribal criticism leaving the headline which u are to comment on pls stop this,look beyond ur yoruba tribe and think out how Nigeria will progress
kogberegbe,u are thief…how did know nzeribe took elec gen and return low volt?or are u those alaaye that tinubu sew uniform for to identify?ok…for ur information the start point of evil comes from ota farm…where do or die originated from,sleeping with daughter inlaw,building libry with our money,killng ige,tempted to kill audu ogbe,gave pa adedibu super power,carried coup in anambra state,killed odi people,neglected bomb blast victim,orchestrated generalsplan crash,use ribadu as hatchet man,fani kayode as sweet tongued that died r money,uba that loot money,sat on petroleum and power projects,bed mrs cristian conscience ineg,choose evil iwu as hatchet man,it too long may be we publish newpapers title’ENDLESS EVIL DEEDS OF A MONSTER OBJ’shameless yorubas
We thank God for this developement still the sun news also told us of another leader who gave a shocking revelation on their operation it was also courtesy of onitsha police command we thank u people,The eastern police force. For those who are telling the whole wide world how mr OBI failed us on security issue by baning vigilant service pls it is only in Anambra that the kidnappers are caught and the person released. We have not heard this else where.We pray for more goodnews on the security
@Kogberegbe, you make me laugh. Who are those who protect their criminal ones in Nigerian politics? You can`t honestly claim that it is not the Hausas, followed by your Yoruba AGIP. Just cross-check those names you listed. Put the positive ones on one side and the negative ones on the other, and you will see what I mean. What is your result? Mrs Kuti on one side, and the myriad of others on the negative side. Your people and the Northerners ruined this country. The honest ones among you admit this fact.
Arthur Nzeribe has no iota of respect in Igbo land. He is in the Senate today through your brother`s “do or die politics”.
Vita in Diaspora! Are we talking about the same Nzeribe who snatched the Elec Gen from the National stadium (Surulere) on the pretence of going to use it 4 the burial of his mother in 1 of your enclaved villages & who supposedly returned a cheaper/low volt one. Forgive my ignorance if that was a diff Igbo Politician. The only reasonable thing about the Yoruba Electorate (of which i am) is that we don’t fint it shameful to cry out against our own corrupt politivcl beneficitiary like other tribes . Be it Shonekan, Omoboriowo,, Segun Oni,Adeleke,Ayooka,Ayoola. All of those that have made money out of the sweat of the hardworking Yorubaman /Woman. Ever heard of . Mrs Ransome Kuti.(Fela’s mum)That shows the Yoruba resolve.