Three members of a gang that
allegedly kidnapped the wife, daughter and driver of a justice of the Supreme
Court, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, in May, this year, were among seven suspects
paraded by the State Security Services in Benin City today.
The other suspects paraded were
three extortionists who threatened to kill their victim if he didn’t pay up and
a musician who was paraded for trafficking in persons.
The State Director of the SSS, Mr.
Bello Bakori who paraded the suspects before the Governor and the Press said
the suspects had confessed to the crime and that three members of the
kidnappers of the Judge’s wife are still at large.
He said Mrs. Rhodes-Vivour and her
daughter were kept in a house in Upper Sokpomba, area of Benin City from where
the kidnap suspects were arrested. All the kidnap suspects were from Delta
State while the trafficker in persons is from Edo State.
The Governor who was miffed that
despite Government’s warning that landlords should screen their tenants to
ensure that their properties are not used by criminals said the buildings used
by the kidnap suspects to hold the Judge’s wife, daughter and driver will be
demolished at the appropriate time.
“For the landlords, we have already
made the decision that anyone that aids and abets kidnapping will have his
structure demolished. Any hotelier who does not follow the instruction of
documenting who stays in the hotel and such are used for kidnapping or human
trafficking we will demolish it. Nobody has the right to make money out of the
pains of Nigerians”, he said.
Oshiomhole expressed joy that the
security agencies were able to arrest the gang that kidnapped the wife and
daughter of the Supreme Court Justice, saying “this is a major breakthrough.
What is important is for criminals to know that there is no more immunity. It
is a matter of when, not whether, they would be caught and that the officers
and men are determined to do their best and those involved in crime would be
brought to justice.
He noted “majority of these
criminals, 95% of them are from Delta State. It shows in this business of
crime, criminals are very mobile. No State can find a solution as they keep
moving from one State to the other. When their colleagues hear that they have
been put on trial, they would look elsewhere.”
To members of the public the
Governor said :“this is something that people should take into account, that
your own relation may well be the source of your problem. Your own cook may
well be the source of your problem; your guard may well be the source of your
problem. All of us need to be careful and not take anything for granted.
“The lesson from this effort is that
when we report to law enforcement agents, they can be arrested, but when we pay
ransom, then we are providing additional incentives for the criminals to remain
in business. Every ransom we pay is an opportunity for them to do more. For me
the message is clear, we must resist paying ransom. We must take law
enforcement agencies into confidence. We must trust them.
“Let me use this opportunity to
appeal to our parents that we must watch over our children, particularly our
daughters. As we heard from one of them arrested, this business is to attract
unsuspecting young girls into travel with all kinds of lousy promises. In their
innocence, they submit and they take them across the borders and they face all
kinds of dehumanizing experiences”.
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