‘KIDNAPPERS DRIVE THE BEST CARS IN MY VILLAGE’

A 24-year-old electrician, who was recently arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos State for kidnapping, has said kidnapping is tempting because kidnappers live large in his hometown.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect, Bernard Okoro, was arrested alongside five others for kidnapping a businessman in the Agbara area of Ogun State.

According to the police, some of the suspects were also involved in the kidnapping of a Briton, Lee Dixon, near the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in 2013.
Okoro is said to be the half-brother of a kidnapping kingpin, Samuel Peter, aka K Boy, who masterminded the Briton’s kidnap.

According to the police, K Boy owns a big house in the highbrow area of Imo State and also drives the latest Honda MDX Sports Utility Vehicle and a Land Rover LR3.
K boy was also said to own an uncompleted building in the Okota area of Lagos as well as another uncompleted building in the Agbara area of Ogun State.
Okoro, who seemed remorseful, said he was not a kidnapper, but he knew that his brother was into the illegitimate business and had also aided his brother in escaping when the police were on his trail.
“K Boy and I share the same mother but have different fathers. I am from Ohafia Local Government in Abia State. His friends and him , who are into kidnapping live large in my village. They drive the latest cars,” he said.

PUNCH Metro learnt that after Okoro was arrested in Lagos, the police attempted to use him in tracking K boy, but Okoro alerted him and he fled to Imo State.
The Officer in charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, was said to have deployed a team of policemen to Imo State where K boy was found in a hotel.

K boy was said to have entered into his SUV and burst the gates open.
“Someone had alerted K boy of our presence and he suddenly jumped into his vehicle and rammed through the rear gate of the hotel. He was firing at policemen who were on his trail. Policemen returned fire and K boy lost control and his vehicle fell into a gutter,” a police source said.
Our correspondent learnt that K boy died at a hospital soon after.
Meanwhile, another team of SARS men in Lagos trailed K boy’s accomplices to an uncompleted building in the Agbara area.

The suspects, Ugochukwu Ezeoma, Samuel Oha, Obinna Ohuoha, James Emoh and Hebeeb Garba, toldPUNCH Metro that they played minor roles in the kidnapping.
One of the suspects, Ezeoma, told PUNCH Metro that he was among the kidnappers who abducted a Briton last year.
He said he was shot when policemen came to rescue the Briton, but managed to escape.
He said after the incident, he vowed never to return to crime and even had plans of relocating to India to seek greener pastures, but he was tempted by the gang to do one more operation.
He said, “Last year, we kidnapped a Briton who was on his way from the airport. We took him to our warehouse (hideout) and demanded money from his people. However, police spoilt our plans and even shot me in the stomach.

“I managed to escape and paid a doctor who treated me. After that, I vowed to stop kidnapping and my elder brother, who lives in India, told me to join him there. I had already processed my documents and was planning to relocate when I was called for one more kidnapping. I should have refused, but I was greedy.”
Asked how they usually kidnap, 27-year-old Ezeoma, who hails from Umuahia in Abia State, said they did not always target people but could just kidnap anyone who seemed well to do.
He said they usually demanded not less than N10m as ransom.

He said, “In the case of the Briton, I was in a Honda CRV along with K boy around Oshodi when the British man’s vehicle drove past us. K boy told me to make a U-turn and chase the guy. We crossed his vehicle and dragged him out of his vehicle into ours.
“In the case of the second guy that we kidnapped at Agbara, six of us drove on three motorcycles and chased the man to an area with bad road. Because the road was bad, he could not speed so we alighted from our bikes, pointed guns and seized him.”

Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone, said the suspects would soon be charged to court.
Source: Punch