The Anambra State Police Command has arrested 38-year-old
wanted kidnap suspect, Okafor, a graduate of Mathematics
from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Okafor popularly known as Igwe did not only fall afoul of the
law as a kidnapper, he also messed up the temple of God by
keeping his victims in a church and sharing his loot with the
pastor.
Once on a mission to collect N5 million ransom from the family
of victim in Asaba, Delta State, he was rounded up by crack
policemen and locked up in a cell.
Okafor, however, escaped through
the window of the cell to
continue his evil trade until the hardworking members of the
State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Anambra ended his reign
of terror.
The kidnap kingpin spoke with Sunday Sun : “I graduated from
Unizik in 2006 and I studied Mathematics. I did my NYSC
in Abuja and I served in NNPC at Berger. After graduation I
was going to Ghana to buy clothes to sell in Lagos State.
“I am now involved totally in kidnapping where I make quick
money. When I kidnapped I used to take my victims to my
church in Awkuzu where the General Overseer, Pastor
Nwaezeagu always collects the victims from us and at the end,
we would give him his own share. We decided to join the
church so that the members would not suspect us that we
were keeping some victims we kidnapped inside the church.”
“I was the one who was involved in the kidnapping of the
traditional prime minister in Enugu-Ukwu and we collected
N50 million from the victim before we released him and I gave
Pastor Nwaezeagu his 20 per cent share on that day.
“I kidnapped another woman in Awka and collected N30
million from the family of victim and kept her in the church
and, after the family paid the ransom, I released the suspect
and I gave Pastor Nwaezeagu the sum of N200,000.”
Okafor who hails from Anambra West Local Government Area
continued: “Myself and my gang kidnapped one victim, Chief
John Uchachuwu at Asaba and we demanded the sum of N5
million. The family of the victim called me to come and take
the money at Asaba. When I got to Asaba I collected the N5
million but the policemen from the anti-kidnap arrested me
and they took me to Delta State and put me inside their cell.”
He said that he escaped through the toilet of the cell and
quickly moved to Anambra State to continue his kidnapping
job.
“I was arrested in Onitsha market by the men of SARS and I
have confessed to them about my involvement in kidnapping,”
he said.
Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ballah Nasarawa
told Sunday Sun that the suspect had been declared wanted
by Anambra State Police Command before he was eventually
arrested on September 2, 2013 in Onitsha.
The police commissioner said Okafor was the same suspect
that the Delta State Police Command declared wanted after he
escaping from the cell through the toilet in 2013.
He stated that the suspect had kept several victims he
kidnapped in the church in which he was a member and which
he used as a hideout.
CP Nasarawa added that, besides the kidnap instances that
Okafor gave, the suspect was also behind the abduction of the
Chairman of Association of Electronics Dealers in Nnewi and
collected N30 million that he shared among his gang members
and released the victim from the church in which he was kept.
Also commenting about Okafor, Delta State Commissioner of
Police, Ikechukwu Aduba told Sunday Sun that the notorious
kidnapper had with his gang kidnapped one Chief
John Uchachuwu in Asaba and they demanded N5 million as
ransom and the police played along as they negotiated ransom
payment. He was told to come and collect the money in Asaba.
It was in the process of collecting the ransom that he was
arrested.
“Also we had to rescue the victim, Chief Uchachuwu while the
suspect, Okafor came to Asaba to collect the ransom of
N5million. What shocked me was that the notorious kidnapper,
Okafor escaped from the cell in our custody despite the fact
that he has injury on his legs. The policemen involved were
one ASP, one Inspector and one Corporal. I had to detain them
in my custody.
“I have written to my AIG in charge of Zone 5, Benin who
appreciated that action had been taken. They will definitely
face the music. How can a notorious kidnapper escape from
their custody?” he queried.
CP Aduba added that later the information got to him that the
SARS in Anambra had re-arrested the kidnapper and I sent my
officers to Anambra State Police Command and they saw him.
“There was a time we traced Okafor to Niger Republic and
Ghana and he escaped. We couldn’t take over the case from
Anambra State Police Command because he did a lot more of
kidnapping in Anambra State than Delta State and he has more
questions to answer in Anambra State Police Command and
they should continue their investigation,” he stated.
The Anambra police boss assured that the suspect would soon
be charged to court after investigation had been concluded.
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