20 Kidnappers, Armed Robbers Paraded By Anambra Police

Anambra state police command yesterday paraded 20 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers at the Headquarters of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), Awkuzu, Anambra state.

Commissioner of police Gwary Usman who paraded the suspects said 5 AK 47 Riffles . 1 Barrette Pistol; 6 pump Action Guns , 9,000 live cartridges ; 8 magazines ;1 locally made pistol and 2 ½ bags of Indian hemp were recovered from them. 

Gwary commended the efforts of the OC SARS , James Nwafor for leading the his men in bursting the kidnappers of former Federal Director of Finance , Chief Robinson Ezeife and Chief Felix Obiefuna from Agulu.

He assured the state citizens that with their collaboration and volunteering of information to the police , they would send packing all armed robbers and kidnappers as well as other criminal elements in the state. He thanked Governor Willie Obiano for his support to the police and other security agencies in fighting crime especially with the formation of Joint Military Taskforce comprising of five security agencies.

The Anambra state Commissioner for police was worried that many engage themselves to be informants to kidnappers and armed robbers on who to kidnap and who to rob describing those people as worst than the robbers and kidnapers themselves.

Gwary further said that : ‘’ ….  These men were arrested this week with all these arsenals. By special grace of God and the support we are getting from the Governor of Anambra state , Chief Willie Obiano, we have the courage and zeal to fight crime and we are going to achieve the desired results. Anybody who is a criminal or a kidnapper should surrender his or her arms now unless he wants to be arrested. We are not relenting until we get rid of all criminal elements in the state’’.

On the   joint task force constituted by Governor Obiano , Gwary said: ‘’ the formation is marvelous. We are still working on Onitsha by the time we finish with Onitsha , we would move to other senatorial zones. The Governor said he wants the state to be cleaned of all bad elements and we in security decided to come together and fight crime collectively because we have realized that one arm of the security agency could not reach everywhere it supposed to get to.

‘’But these operation is by the police led by OC SARS James Nwafor, we arrested some in Lagos, others in Asaba , others in Imo and anywhere a kidnapper runs to we would be there to arrest the kidnapper or armed robber……..’’ .

But in a swift reaction some of the 20 suspects paraded admitted the allegations leveled against them and appealed for public forgiveness as they were led into the crime by frustration.   

A kidnap suspect, Ogochukwu Ngwuche from Eziagu, Enugu state admitted he is a kidnapper this way: ‘’I am a kidnapper. I kidnapped PC Emerah brother. My gang is here and the person that gave us information is here. He paid ransom of N5 Million’’. He said he was arrested in Asaba.

On how he got the guns he used, Ogochukwu said: ‘’We bought one AK47 for N450,000 and the man I bought the gun from is here.

For another suspect Philip Amia from Nkanu Enugu state :’’ I am a kidnapper . I don’t know the man we kidnapped but the person who gave us information is here. The police arrested me in Asaba. Look at the information manager here. ……..This is the third time I am kidnapping since I came back from Malaysia. I  was in Malaysia for 8 years , doing very well and had so many property until I ran into problem. I lost everything in my house …. And I was looking for money or what to do to survive until I was lured into this.

He admitted that he had raised N2 Million since he started the kidnapping business and he used it to send somebody to Malaysia to get goods for him but the person ran into problem too and has not returned. He said he regretted all his actions now.

Again , Echezona Akpulu from Nkitaku village Agulu admitted giving information the kidnappers used to kidnap his kinsman Felix Obiefuna and his proceeds from the crime was N300,000  which he used to send some money to his brother at South Africa and used the remainder to buy drinks for the memorial service of his late father.

Meanwhile the joint military patrol team constituted by Governor Willie Obiano , yesterday paid off on its first duty by arresting four suspected criminals and recovering some bags and wraps of  substance suspected to be Cannabis Sativa (Indian Hemp) estimated to weigh 100 kilograms.

 The joint team of armed forces started raiding of suspected criminal hideouts in all nooks and crannies of Anambra State. The operation is part of Governor Willie Obiano's initiative and avowed determination to rid the state of criminal elements and criminalities.

The team comprised of the Army, Navy, Police, Department of Security Services, DSS and National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA among others.

They had on a tip-off, stormed a hideout near the Old Motor Car Spare Parts (Mgbuka) Market, Obosi, near Onitsha at about 12 noon but the suspects sighted the team, took to their heels but in a concerted effort, five of them were tracked down.

Many others escaped into a nearby bush even as all efforts to arrest more suspects proved abortive as the team left the area after thorough combing and firing tear gas canisters into the area to smoke them out.

The team took off from the 302 Military cantonment, Onitsha,  and when they returned with the suspects and their Indian hemp, they interrogated them briefly and discovered that one of them was just a passerby and released him unconditionally with apology.

A principal suspect who identified himself as Chibuzor Echendu, a native of Imo State, confessed to newsmen that he was a major distributor of Indian hemp in the area, adding that Samuel Nonso who was also among the four suspects in the team's net, was once his apprentice in the hemp business.

Some of the residents of Mgbuka Obosi market who witnessed the joint operation, including   Pastor Kingsley Ezeoke of the Jesus Transformation Ministry, Diaku Ifesinachi, Mrs, Uche Okeke, Victor Ezechi and Chibuzor Nnabuchi, commended Governor Obiano for setting up the joint team and urged him to sustain the tempo until all the criminal elements are flushed out and adequate security maintained in the state.

They regretted that some hoodlums had attacked unsuspecting residents of the area within that same spot by way of snatching their motorcycles and dispossessing them of their valuables but urged the joint team not to harass and intimidate law-abiding citizens while carrying out their duties.

The grand commander of the joint team and state deputy commissioner of police, Agyole Abeh told newsmen shortly after the exercise that the operation started about 10 days ago, adding that a considerable arrests and recoveries have been recorded by the team since its inception.

The leader of Army team, Captain Tukuru and his NDLEA counterpart, Ameh Inalegwu who is also the Assistant State Commander in charge of Operations/Intelligence, said the operation would continue until all the criminals in the state are flushed out of existence.