By Anayo Okoli
UMUAHIA—MORE information emerged, yesterday, on how the Abia kidnap kingpin, Obioma Nwankwo, notoriously known as Osisikankwu, was killed by the Military Task Force operating in Abia State.

The killing of the dreaded kidnap lord who partitioned Abia State among his men while he remained the overall commander excited residents of Aba in particular and Abia people in general.

Military sources told Vanguard that activities of Osisikankwu had come under intense monitoring, including his telephone calls and that considerable intelligence was gathered on him. The sources said that the only problem was to track down the exact point he was staying.

However, nemesis caught up with him, Sunday, when one of his victims escaped from where he was kept with his entire family whom the kidnap kingpin and his gang abducted and set their home ablaze.

When the escaped victim reported to the task force, with all the information they already had on the kidnap kingpin, the soldiers were able to track him and his cohorts down.

The General Officer Commanding 82 Division of Nigerian Army, Major_General Sarkin Yaki Bello under whose command “Operation Jubilee” is being conducted, directed that “ambushes be set up along all his possible escape routes in Obokwe_Asa Evil Forest” in Ukwa West council area of the state.

Vanguard learnt that some of the soldiers were stationed on top of trees where they were said to have laid ambush for three days. On Sunday after noon he fell to the ambush and was killed alongside two of his men. Thirteen kidnapped victims were rescued by the soldiers.

Exchange of fire

Assistant Army Public Relations of 82 Division, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, who briefed newsmen at Asa High School Camp of the Task Force, on how late Osisikankwu was killed, said: “At about 1430 hours on December 12, 2010, Osisikankwu fell into an ambush site and was killed along with two other kidnappers simply identified as Polycarp and Chinedu during exchange of fire.

While Polycarp died instantly, Chinedu later died at the Military Hospital, Port Harcourt, where he was taken by the Task Force for treatment of gunshot wound sustained during the encounter.”

See photo of Osisikankwu Abia kidnap kingpin

He gave the breakdown of the rescued victims as six females whose ages ranged between 14 and 16 years. Others were four children, a young man who escaped from his captivity and whose bravery helped to nail the notorious kidnapper.

Also recovered were six AK 47 Riffles, two RPG, one Machine Gun, one GPMG, 11 RPG Bombs, 133 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and 99AK47 empty magazines.

The corpse of Osisikankwu was paraded before Governor Theodore Orji, late Sunday night, while Lt. Col. Musa led a team of his men to convey the remains of Osisikankwu and his two slain men to the police headquarters, Umuahia. They also carried the displaced family who may be taken care of by the government for the mean time.

Meanwhile, reactions have trailed the killing of the notorious criminal who held Aba and other parts of Abia State hostage before the arrival of the task force.

Tracking down the criminal

Members of Aba branch of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, said the military did a great job by tracking down the criminal and silencing him as he refused to turn himself in to face the law.

Chief Uche Awa, chairman of Aba branch of the NBA said: “We are at home with the workings of the Military Task Force. The killing of Osisikankwu is indeed the highpoint of their excellent job so far. We hope the other criminals will turn themselves in. We thank God.

“Instead of turning himself in to avail himself of opportunity of due trial under the law, he decided to commit suicide by engaging in a shoot out with the army.”

Also reacting, Abia State branch of Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, commended the task force for fishing out and killing the dreaded criminal.

Its chairman, Comrade Ifeanyi Onwuneme, said that though CLO was against capital punishment “but not in this case, considering the number of people he has so far killed and women raped”.