Kidnappers Kill 84 Years Old Wife Of King In Enugu

The decomposed body of 84 year-old Madam Adiza Ogbo, wife the traditional ruler of Abba- Igogoro community, Igboeze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, who was abducted by unknown gunmen since September 14, this year, has been recovered from a shallow grave by operatives of the state police command.

Late Adiza, the mother of the former Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs  in Enugu State, Chief Goddy Ogbo, was kidnapped, four days after some armed men invaded the palace and inflicted machete cuts on her husband, Omale before shooting at three other persons in his palace at 8pm.

The traditional ruler was said to be having a meeting with some people in his Igogoro palace when the gunmen struck. Igwe Ogbo was said to have been reportedly given three machete cuts on his head.

The aged woman was said to have died in the hands of her abductors a week after she was taken from her home at gunpoint to an unknown destination.  Leader of the kidnap gang now in police net, one Paschal Onah alias Achisa who was arrested along with a native doctor and seven members of his gang, confessed that the woman died in their hands and was buried in a grave which he dug in his compound for kidnap victims.

The police said that the woman’s decomposed body was recovered from the said grave following a confessional statement by the suspects who were rounded up by men of the state police command.

The State Police spokesman, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects and the recovery of Mrs. Ogbo’s corpse yesterday, likened the incident to the popular saying that “every day is for a thief but one day is for the owner of the house.”

He said that the “dare devil kidnappers with their native doctor that prepares charm for them in order not to be caught and for them to be succeeding in their evil perpetrations and possibly be escaping when security operatives strikes are now in custody.”

According to him, the operatives of the Anti Kidnapping Unit arrested the nine  notorious kidnappers and the native doctor in the course of investigation into the kidnap of the royal father’s wife.

“Following the kidnap of the woman who is believed to be about 84 years, Commissioner of Police Enugu state command, Adamu Abubakar Mohammed directed a full scale investigations which has hitherto led to the arrest of nine suspects namely Paschal Onah alias Achisa, Uche Ugwu, Chinwendu Adonu, Chikodi Idoko, Martin Okpe a native doctor, Mamman Okechukwu, Ofobuike Okpe, Christain Onah and Friday Eze.

“They were arrested after a severe gun duel with the operatives recently when they were tracked to their hideouts with some of them sustaining injuries,” he said. Amaraizu said that the leader of the gang, Paschal Onah, had revealed  how he and his gang members carried out the kidnap of the late Madam Ogbo and how she was eventually buried by him and the gang members in his compound where they have kept her awaiting for the payment of N10million ransom.

He said that Onah claimed that a week later the madam died and they decided to bury her in a shallow grave inside his compound which he had turned to a dumping ground for kidnap victims.

Onah further revealed that he also collected N300,000 from the family of the victim after she had died but unknown to her relations that the woman had died and was going to regain her freedom after the payment.

He further disclosed that his gang used to work hand in hand with the native doctor, who normally prepare charm for the gang and that they compensate him with a ram and N30,000 or N50,000 respectively depending on the ransom obtained from the victim’s relations.

Onah, however, regretted his action and advised people “to stay out of crime and criminality as one’s sin is bound to find him out one day.”

One of the suspects identified as Uche Ugwu also regretted his action and disclosed that he has not made much since he joined the illicit business which he described as “a dirty game.”

He however narrated how he abandoned his cloth selling business at Abuja and heed to Paschals call to joi his kidnap gang, advising the youth to try as much as possible to shun crime and criminality.

The suspect, who admitted having carried out two kidnap operations with Paschal using their cut to size double- barrel gun, one revolver pistol and a locally made pistol, revealed that they normally keep their victims at Paschal’s house.

“Normally when we want to go on operation, we use to snatch vehicles and move with it to where we want to operate,” Ugwu said while advising those indulging in criminal activities to desist as “they will be caught one day.”

Chinwendu Adonu, also a suspect, disclosed that it was greed that lured him into becoming a kidnapper, explaining that he was cloth seller in Benue state before he joined the gang.

He further disclosed that he wanted to quit “this dirty game but the leader of the gang threatened to kill me if I quit but I did not report it to the police.”

Amaraizu said that manhunt for other members of the gang had been intensified just as the State Commissioner of Police has applauded the efforts of his operatives and good people of the state for their assistance which led to the arrest of the hoodlums.

He assured that the state command would continue to work hard to ensure safety and security of people in the state and urged members of the public to make judicious use of the telephone numbers giving to them by the command to supply necessary information about criminals.