Gov Uduaghan Celebrates Arrest Of Kidnappers Kingpin

With the arrest of of the most notorious Niger Delta Kidnapper, Kelvin Ibruvwe yesterday, his hometown of Kokori in Warri, Delta State remained tensed.

An indigene of the community who spoke after the arrested said,“Kokori is boiling as I am talking to you now. The soldiers and the youths are exchanging fire seriously. Many persons have been killed. Everybody is running helter-skelter.”

The source said the youths were armed with “ AK-47 rifles, pump action shotguns and even dane-guns”.

It was gathered that trouble broke out when troops invaded a shrine to arrest a juju priest, who is fingered as a charm-maker for Kelvin and his gang.

Security operatives said some youths resisted the arrest and opened fire on the troops, a development that sparked off an exchange of gunfire.

After several hours of gun duel, the ragtag local militias bowed to the superiority of the troops, who arrested dozens of youths from the community.

A high ranking military officer, who pleaded not to be named, confirmed the arrests.

He said: “We arrested some suspects who will be quizzed by detectives and intelligence officers to ascertain the level of their involvement in the fracas.

There is fear among some Urhobo politicians and community leaders following Ibruvwe arrest.

It was learnt that some of the panicky leaders included those who had had dealings with Ibruvwe.

“We know that he enjoyed the support of some Urhobo leaders and even politicians from other parts of the state. These people should be really worried because if they are implicated in his confession, they would face the same consequences,” an SSS source said.

Meanwhile,the arrest of the kidnap kingpin elicited celebrations from Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and other top officials o f the state government.

The governor was in a meeting with traditional rulers in his office when he got details of the arrest on Wednesday.

Sources at the event said governor Uduaghan confirmed the cheery news to traditional rulers and other government officials.