Emmanuel Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South

DELTA State commissioner of police, Mr. Mamman Tsafe, says he will not dispute the fact that kidnappers have increased their operations in the state, but he was emphatic that the police and other security agencies have risen up to the occasion, and that very soon, the number would be drastically reduced. He spoke in his office in Asaba.

Kidnapping appears to have taken an upsurge in Delta State. What is happening?

Well, I won’t directly dispute it because there are a lot of complaints here and there. But the reasons might not be unconnected with the fact it has become more lucrative. And, unfortunately, the families of the victims, more often than not, don’t want to come to the police because the kidnappers will threaten them with the issue of killing the victims if they dare to intimate the police.

Mamman Tsafe, Delta State Commissioner of Police

But, all the same, we have been doing the best we can, especially in situations where relations of victims are ready to relate with the police. In most of the cases that they cooperated with us, we succeeded in rescuing those kidnapped and, in some others, we dealt decisively with the kidnappers.

There is this case of four children of the chairman of the National Union of Petroleum Tankers Drivers Union , including a 13 and nine –year-old, who were kidnapped with a huge amount of N5 million meant for ransom for the kidnappers, we rescued the children and the ransom.

What happened was that the kidnappers kept the children for quite some time but, with the assistance of the people, we attacked their enclave, we hit three of them and got one alive and then recovered the ransom with all their weapons, including their traditional medicine man.

You could remember the incident from Kaduna that came in, the kidnappers took their victim to Ozoro and demanded for N2 million, we got the N2 million, we got the victim unhurt and we also arrested the people. Even another one which a pastor was involved in Ughelli, we arrested the kidnappers, as well as the kidnapped wife of Hon Solomon Oritsejafor.

Inordinate ambition

The point is that these boys are die-hard in their bid to make money by all means. A young man of less than 25 years wants to make money overnight, comparing himself with somebody who has been struggling for upwards of 70 years in life. The fact is that they have the liking for it and the best thing is for a policy that will help to disabuse their minds from such a crime, while the police intensify their efforts to ensure that the law takes its proper course on anybody who decides to be a kidnapper.

However, kidnappers are finding their way in some areas because the terrain is not easily known to the security agents. Police need more cooperation from the people to tackle kidnapping; a stranger can easily be noticed by indigenes of an area before security agents would even get to know, and especially those with suspicious movements, people should assist us with such kinds of information.

But an average Deltan thinks kidnappers have overwhelmed the police.

That is not possible. We have cracked many cases of kidnapping in the state; it is only a matter of time. We have had exchanges of fire with them, some died in the process and those that survived are assisting us in investigations.

We are trying to penetrate the main enclave of kidnappers with the information we have gotten from some of them and the joint operation is giving us a boost, as we now have the military, SSS and even recognized and credible vigilante groups working for the same purpose of tracking down kidnappers. And so, as far as I am concerned, we will definitely succeed in getting them. The number will be drastically reduced very soon.

To answer your question, I will not necessarily ask anybody to change his opinion of whatever they believe, but I will vehemently reject the opinion. We take action whenever there is a report made to us.

Nevertheless, I tell you one thing, one advantage the kidnapper has is that the parents and relations of the victims are not courageous to be with us and then, be tracking these people. Immediately they warn them, they cave in to fear, but I tell you, if people are able to resist the intimidation of kidnappers, definitely, we will wipe out kidnapping in the state.

The truth, however, is that the cooperation required is not necessarily there, but I don’t blame the relations of the victims, the psychological effect and the trauma of it all. But like the case of the petrol tanker drivers chairman, I like his courage, despite all the threat, he maintained that he had reliance on the security agents and he was to give up to N10 million and it came to N5 million, and he made it ready but we were able to enter into it and we succeeded.

Has any of the kidnappers arrested so far named their sponsors? If so, have the police been able to get at them?

Most of those we have arrested seem to have owned up to themselves only, but we are working on the sponsors. We have so many theories, some will bring this, some will bring that. Let us leave it at that for now.

There are so many insinuations, even highly placed men in the society are under suspicion, but we will not want to say anything until we establish that it actually happened, but I know that one day, we will reach there.

Ekpan crisis

There is crisis in Ekpan, what I plan is that I will raid Ekpan very soon. The controversy surrounding the so-called leader will be unraveled, no matter how highly placed. Nobody is sacred in Ekpan, the only thing is that we have not caught them with clear evidence, but the moment we catch them, they would have to face the law.

Challenges of policing Delta

The main challenge is to ensure that every Deltan lives with his two eyes closed but we have manpower handicap, our men are overstretched with many demands here and there, but there are genuine demands which we have to respond to. Delta State is the hub of the country’s economy and so many things are condensed in the state, they call it the big heart of the country.

So, we have to ensure adequate security coverage in the midst of the problems of equipment, manpower and logistics. In this regard actually, I thank the governor of the state for the way he has assisted the police with vehicles.

The vehicles have been of tremendous assistance to us; in fact, the last attack on some robbers, we used the vehicles given to us by the state government, but, prior to that donation, our vehicles were all worn out, but now we have serviceable vehicles to pursue the criminals.

Sapele is a special case

I was moved by one of your write-ups in Vanguard, which I read in the aircraft on my way to Asaba from Lagos. I read the whole thing religiously and reacted immediately. The way I read the report, it was that even Sapele had no vehicle and I had the perception that they had a vehicle, but later I called, they told me that their vehicle was involved in an accident and was damaged.

I had one vehicle in my house, I said it should not sleep in my house, it should proceed to Sapele.

Let me talk on that Sapele axis; the turn of events is that the kidnappers have good hideouts around Sapele and I know that there are some urchins and sponsors in that area. My problem is how to smoke them out. The forest there is no longer my problem because I have sent a team to rake the bush with my plainclothes men and I am going to strike there anytime.

I will not want to explain all my plans so as not to preempt them, let us strike without notice and whatever we see will assist us in our subsequent investigations. But what I can tell you is that there are people in Sapele who live on kidnapping and, openly, you would think they are responsible people, but from their lifestyle, you can see that they are questionable people. The fact, however, is that we are looking at Sapele as a special case in our fight against kidnappers in the state.