The Department of State Services has apprehended six kidnappers of Chief
Nitabai Inengite, an uncle to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Inengite was abducted at Otuoke community in the Ogbia Local Government
Area of Bayelsa State in February, 2014.
The kidnappers, who were paraded at the DSS headquarters in Abuja on
Thursday include a 400-level undergraduate of the University of Jos, Plateau State,
Eldred Jonah,30; Raphael Inengesi, 32; Ibeabuchi Inya,29; Oreva Abridi 29;
Tammy Agbai,29; and a native doctor, Felix Onuoh,48.
The Service also paraded another set of kidnappers that were involved in
the abduction of two sisters, Ejura and Unekwu Opaluwa at Karmo, Abuja on June
8, 2014.
The suspects are Oyemire Asagba, 29, aka Paul/Sky; Sunday Attah,30, aka
Shyne; the armourer, Zacheus Salami,30, aka ‘D’; Victor Bassey,32; the driver,
Sani Mohammed,23;, and Aragba Ademo,33, aka IT/Topson.
Others are Ojo Gambo,22; Haruna Asama,38; Dikko Iko, 22; and Mohammed
Adamu,20, aka Mikifi/Abu.
The DSS Deputy Director, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, explained that
Jonah masterminded the abduction of the President’s uncle and provided the
take-off grant of N40,000 for arms procurement and other logistics.
According to her, the suspect confessed that he carried out surveillance
on Inengite and that the gang had two teams for the operation, comprising the
land team made up of five persons, and the waterside (speedboat) team, made up
of three persons.
Ogar stated that four pump action rifles were used for the operation,
adding that Inengite was whisked away in an ash-coloured Honda SUV to Onuegbu
waterside from where he was transferred into a waiting speedboat and taken to
the creeks.
She said, “The victim was held captive at two different locations within
Bayelsa State in the creek of Brass, very close to the ‘mouth’ of the Atlantic
Ocean and Okigbene creeks.
“Following a security operation by this service, he was released after
17 days in captivity without payment of ransom. Investigation into the incident
eventually led to the arrest of the six suspects in Bayelsa, Delta and Edo
States.”
Ogar stated that Agbai, an unemployed graduate of Accounting from the
University of Port Harcourt, was the owner of the car that was used for the
abduction, adding that the suspect denied involvement in the kidnap operation,
claiming that one of his friends, Jonah, requested the use of the car for a
burial ceremony, which he obliged him.
In an interview with newsmen, Jonah, who admitted to providing the money
and undertaking surveillance for the abduction, claimed that the motivation for
the operation was not ransom.
Onuoha, the native doctor, explained that he provided charms and herbal
fortification for the kidnap gang because he was afraid they may harm him and
his family if he did not cooperate with them.
He said, “Abridi came with three men and said they want juju for
business success which I did for them. They later said that was not what they
wanted, that they wanted to kidnap someone and wanted charm for protection.
“The moment they said that, their faces changed and I was afraid that if
I don’t cooperate with them, they may harm me and my family because I was with
my family at the time, so I agreed to help them and I asked them to pay me 10
per cent of the ransom.”
Ogar also explained that the leader of the kidnappers of two girls in
Abuja, Asagba confessed to the crime, adding that the operation was carried out
by him and four other gang members.
She said, “Paul had been arrested previously at a military checkpoint at
Uke, Keffi LGA, Nasarawa State, while in possession of two Ak-47 rifles,
magazines and 87 rounds of live ammunition.
“He was arraigned in court, convicted and sentenced to one and a half
years in prison which he served at Keffi Prison in March 2013.
“Upon his release, he returned to his criminal activities and confessed
that he kidnapped the two sisters at Life Camp, Abuja and that they collected
N10m before releasing the victims, but they lied to the co-opted members that
they received only N6m.”
The DSS stated that the gang co-opted Iko, the security guard at the
victims’ residence who provided information on the movement of the Opaluwa
family.
The service said that Iko had confided in a kinsman, Ezekiel, that his
employer, the father of the kidnapped girls, kept money at home and it was
Ezekiel who promised to introduce him to friends that could steal the money.
“Dikko was given N3,000 to buy a phone and SIM card for communication
with the gang members,” Ogar explained.