By CHARLES IWUOHA

Police in Ebonyi State have arrested three kidnap suspects and kill two of them in gun battle in two separate kidnap cases.

In one of the cases, three business persons from Enugu who went to do their business in Ezzagu, Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State were kidnapped by the village executives and held hostage for three days.

In the other kidnap case, a man in Awgu, Enugu State, was kidnapped there and taken to Ikwo, Ebonyi State where they collected N1 million ransom.

But luck ran out of them when police got wind of it and stormed Ikwo and they abandoned the man’s vehicle they kidnapped him with and the N1million and flee.

Police was able to arrest one of them, Raphael Nworie from Nkanu East Enugu.

Nworie said: “We kidnapped one man in Awgu, Enugu state on 24th July and brought him to Ikwo, Ebonyi State so that he cannot know where we came from. On our war going back, we parked on the road before police started shooting on us and we all entered the bush. In the morning, when I came out to find my way, I was caught by the villagers.

“Three others are still on the run, I was the only one that was arrested. It is one of us that knows Ikwo and we decided to bring the man to anywhere in Ikwo.

“The man gave us N1million cash as ransom and the money is in the man’s vehicle we kidnapped him with. We abandoned the money inside the vehicle and fled when we exchanged fire with the police. I have been in this business since two weeks and this is the first time we are kidnapping somebody.

“The man had food in his booth. When we dropped him in Ikwo, we gave him N5,000 and water. The man’s name is Obasi Chigozie. We forced the man to give us his ATM pin number and he released it to us. We then went to POS and withdrew the N1million.

“I am I taxi driver and it is one of my friends that introduced me into this business of kidnapping. He told me to join the business that I will be making more money”.

On his part, one of those that kidnapped the three persons in Ishielu, Ebonyi state, Nonso Ugboh said “there were some persons from Enugu who came to our community to sell some goods including Indomie noodles, pampers and others and were looking for house.

“I rented house for them and when they entered the house, they said they are now into another business. They said that when you give them N1,000, in five days time, they will give you N1,500 and I gave them N3,000 to make N5,500

“When they finished collecting all the monies from our people, they wanted to run away. My villagers held them that they should bring their monies and stated beating them. After beating them, they took them inside one house and told them they should refund all the monies they collected before releasing them.

“We held them hostage and demanded ransom from them to balance the people in our community they collected money from. We took them to the bush we call Sambisa and held three of them hostage. I am the PRO of Eguobodo united in our community and I am the one that was incharge of their hostage taking and I am the one that introduced them to my community.

“They were to pay N200,000 before they would be released. We commanded the fair guy among the three persons to have sex with the lady that came with them to do their business and they had sex in our presence. I disguised as a mad man and collected the ransom on the three persons.

“When police stormed the forest we kept the three persons and started shooting, we started running and some of our colleagues fled with the girl we were to another forest. Those who fled with the girl are Kelechi Igwe, Tochukwu Otiokpo and Nnaemeka.

“I will help the police to trace them and rescue the girl. I promise to do this so that police can help me to come out of this problem. I have two daughters and my wife is heavily pregnant. I am an okada rider."

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah, who paraded the suspects, said Obasi Chigozie who became sick following the incident has reunited with his family.

She disclosed that efforts were on to rescue the girl that was held hostage in the forest in Ezzagu.

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