The suspects with the Ak47 rifles and 98 live ammunition recovered from them.THE
suspected kidnappers of the wife of the speaker, Osun State House of
Assembly, Mrs Muibat Salaam, have opened up on how the crime was hatched
and carried out, with one of them, Chukwudi Okereke, confessing that he
was the one who supplied the gang with the woman�s name as his
contribution to the �business�.
Speaking with journalists during a press briefing held on Friday,
October 26, the Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mrs Kalafite
Adeyemi, said Okereke confessed to have given information about Mrs
Salaam to his gang members, because he knew the woman at Ejigbo.
Other suspects arrested in Ogun State before they were transferred to
Osun State were Ogbole Ochijele, Lucky Okonkwo and Chukwuma Osifo. Mrs
Adeyemi also disclosed that two other suspects, Uwadiunor Philip and
Kaikine Mahah, were arrested by a security agency in Benin, Edo State
less than a week after. Kaikine was found in Uwadiunor�s house but
Okereke said Uwadiunor was not a member of his gang.
Journalists were allowed to interview the suspects and the following
were their confessional statements which revealed the level of
involvement of each of the arrested suspects:
Chukwudi Okereke (25)I am from Ukpotu in Delta
State but I live in Agbor. I joined kidnapping gang this year and I was
introduced to it by Uche. He escaped arrest. This is the third operation
I followed him to. We did the first two kidnappings in Lagos State. We
kidnapped two white men the first time. We did not take them out of
Lagos.
They paid N3million as ransom and I was given N440,000. About five of us did the operation. The
second operation I went with him was also the kidnap of another
foreigner. That one gave us N2million and I was given a paltry N130,000
because we were many.
I was the one who brought the idea of kidnapping the Speaker�s wife. I
knew the woman when I once stayed at Ejigbo but the woman did not know
me. After following them on kidnapping operations, I was asked to bring a
victim because I had been benefitting from other people�s work. I was
told that government officials pay more money. That was why I mentioned
the woman.
On the day of the kidnapping, I left Agbor in Delta State with three
men; other people moved from Lagos with the truck. We all met in Osogbo.
We were 11 in number. Ogbole went ahead of us to be monitoring the
woman. We moved to Ogbomoso road and parked because Ogbole was calling
us that the woman had closed. He told us her direction and we blocked
her. After kidnapping her, we changed her into the truck. The owner of
the truck is in Agbor but he was not part of our plan. He gave the truck
to his driver to work for him.
A little after Ibadan, along Lagos/Ibadan expressway, three of us who
were leaders stopped us and one of them entered the bush to check if it
would be safe to keep the woman there. They ordered the woman to come
down and ordered five guys to go and stay with her in the bush. Others
took away the car and started calling the woman�s husband. The driver
and I stayed inside the truck where the vigilance services men later
arrested us.
Our gang leaders told that they asked the man to pay N200 million and
he said he had only N25 million. We were ready to collect that before
we were arrested. We took two guns (AK 47) for the operation and we got
them from one guy called White
I thank God that I was arrested because if I was not arrested, I may
continue. I only ask God for forgiveness. I don�t know what will happen
to me. That is why I am confessing and not hiding anything. I am also
advising all youths, whether okada rider or driver, that anyone of my
age (25), that is doing this kind of a thing (kidnapping), and has not
been caught should just give his life to Christ and drop whatever he has
(weapons). By the grace of God he will get whatever he wants, so that
his death will not come. If okada will not get you enough money, join
farming.
I am an electrical contractor but when I started, many people owed
me. Uche is a youth leader whom everyone in our area knows. He is a
friend to youths and he was always giving money, that was how I knew
him.
Ogbole OchijeleMy part was to direct this gang
from Lagos to Osogbo. Chukwudi and Uche asked me to go to the our
victim�s shop to monitor her until she would close.
Lucky OkonkwoI was in Agbor when Chukwudi called
me to come and help him carry some goods from Osogbo. I told him I
didn�t know Osogbo. He then said they will use a car and will direct us.
That was how I followed them.
Mahah Kaikine We went to Agbor for a party and
after the party, I was told that I should follow the group to Lagos for
business. I asked what type of business. I had never been to Lagos
before but I knew if I said it open, others would laugh at me so I
followed them.
I followed Chukwuman Osifo the driver as his conductor. I was told we
were coming to Yorubaland to do some things. I didn�t know what we were
coming to do but on the way the driver told me we were going for
kidnapping. Personally, I didn�t know they were going for a Speaker�s
wife, I wouldn�t have done it. I thank God this happened. I plead that
the government should temper justice with mercy. I will not do it again.
It would be recalled that a 12-man gang kidnapped the wife of Osun
State Speaker, Muibat Salaam, on Tuesday October 9 at about 7.30 p.m. at
Ejigbo, Osun State while she was driving home after closing from her
shop in her Honda Accord car with registration number OSHA 27 with her
daughter Fatimoh Salaam. She was said to have noticed the presence of
some men chasing her in one Honda Accord car.
She reportedly increased the speed of the car but the strange men
overtook her. She jumped down from the car in an effort to escape but
was overpowered and bundled by the armed men into their car. She was
later transferred into a truck blindfolded and driven to an unknown
location.
A police source told Sunday Tribune that the woman said that though
it was dark and her face covered, she knew through their discussions
that the kidnappers were many. The source added that they later stopped
after several hours of driving and moved her from the truck into the
forest where they collected all her belongings, including her Techno
handset dual sim, Samsung phone, hand bag containing driver�s licence,
National I.D card, two Skye bank ATM card, house and shop keys, the sum
of N30,000 and gold necklace.
On Saturday, October 13 at about 3a.m. however, the activities of the
kidnap gang were brought to a halt when some residents of Ajebo
village, along the Lagos/Ibadan expressway noticed an unusual movement
of some men with a woman in their midst.
They were said to have informed the men of Vigilance Services of Ogun
State, and in company of policemen from Ogun State Police Command,
went into action and rescued Mrs Salaam unhurt, with no ransom paid,
after a gun duel with the kidnappers. While the Ogun State Commissioner
of Police, Mr Okoye Ikemefuna said one of the gang members died during
the crossfire, unconfirmed reports had it that two suspects died. Three
of the suspects were arrested at the scene while others escaped with
bullet wounds.
It was also gathered that some of the gang members moved from
Kaikine�s girlfriend�s party in Agbor down to the South West to carry
out the kidnapping.
Ikaworld.com
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