By NGOZI UWUJARE

A man whose son was recently apprehended by the police for being a leading member of a notorious gang of kidnappers have begged the police to perpetually keep the man in the cell, and never to allow him return to his native community in Imo State.

Sixty-five-year-old Pa Samson Obinna, whose son, Ikechukwu Obinna is being accused by the police of sundry crimes, including kidnapping, has cried out to the police detectives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Imo State Police Command that he never wanted to see the young man again. He pleaded with the police to ensure that his son was prevented from ever setting eyes on his community, Obialor, Amaraku in Isiala Mbano Local Government, Area of Imo State.

But why wouldn’t he want his own son to come back home, eventually? The old man said Ikechukwu had been involved in different crimes such as kidnapping and armed robbery within the community in Amaraku.

In a chat, Pa Obinna told Saturday Sun: “I have reported the bad conduct and evil act of my son, Ikechukwu Obinna to the Igwe in the community including the Council of Elders and other security agencies and local vigilance group. My son is involved in kidnapping and armed robbery. He has kidnapped innocent victims and stolen their property. He took the victims into my compound, and I quarrelled with him. I reported the case to the Igwe, elders of the community and the police. I cannot join him to hide his evil acts.

“My son, Ikechukwu Obinna was arrested on November 6, 2021 for kidnapping by the Anti-Kidnapping Squad operatives. When the Anti-Kidnapping Squad operatives visited my compound, I welcomed them and took them to where my son always hid his stolen goods and after several disagreements, he took away the stolen items from my house.

“I have pleaded with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hussain Rabiu that he shouldn’t release my son and he shouldn’t allow my son, Ikechukwu Obinna to come back to the community again. I want them to teach him a lesson. He has put shame on the family and the community. I lost my wife and was blessed with five children. I still stand on my ground. I don’t want my son to come back to the community anymore,” he stated.

On November 6, 2021 the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Imo State Police Command led by its Commander, Superintendent of Police, Oladimeji Oyeyiyewa arrested the two suspected kidnappers, Ikechukwu obinna, 39, and Ikechukwu Opara, 43, in their hideout at Obialor Community, Amaraku in Isiala Mbano Local Government, Area of Imo State.

Oyeyiyewa said that the two men had been involved in various kidnapping activities using Army uniforms to carry out their nefarious activities and terrorise Obialor Community.

He said it was after they had kidnapped some victims that he led his men to the hideout of the suspects at Obialor compound. At the venue, the police authorities reportedly recovered one pump action gun, six live cartridges, 56 rounds of GPMG ammunitions, two live ammunitions, two leg chains, two padlocks, one white coloured Jetta car and one Mercedes truck.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hussain Rabiu told Saturday Sun that the two kidnappers have been involved in various crimes and that when they kidnapped their victims, they chained them and padlocked the two legs of the victim until the victims’ families paid ransom.

He said it was usually after the payment of ransom that the kidnappers would release the victim and remove the padlocks and chains.

The police boss, Mr Rabiu explained that the two suspects were involved in the kidnapping of one Timothy Chukwuke Nwajiobi, a 31-year-old man of Notuda Minfa Estate, Naze in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State. The victim was reportedly abducted at Amaraku Junction in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State on October 27, 2021 about 12noon.

He said they collected ransom of N4 million before the victim was released two days later. He was released from the den of the kidnappers on October 29.

“Also, the same kidnappers were involved in the kidnapping of the Director of Dutch Global Ventures. They collected N5 million from his family before the victim was released. They also kidnapped one Chigozie Azuokuma, of Plot 8 Ugochukwu Estate in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State on November 4, 2021 at 4.45pm at Onuegwu Nwoke Fuel station along Orlu Road.

He said they held the victim hostage at Obialor Community in Umuezeala Umuegbasi Amaraku Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State and demanded a ransom of N15 million.

He said based on intelligence gathering, the operatives of Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Owerri mobilised themselves to the hideout at Obialor community Umuebasi Umuezeala Amaraku in Isiala Mbano L.G.A of Imo State and rescued the victim unhurt. He also informed the newspaper that the operatives also recovered all the operational weapons of the kidnappers.

The suspect, Ikechukwu Obinna, in an interview with Saturday Sun, admitted that he had been involved in kidnapping activities for quite some time, during which he and his gang actually kidnapped many people for ransom.

His words: “I attended Development Primary School. I am a driver by profession. I lost my mother years back while my father, Papa Samson Obinna is alive. Later, I went into kidnapping with four gang members. We have terrorised the whole community and we have kidnapped various victims. What we normally do is that we would chain their legs and put padlocks on the chains. We would then wait for their family members to come to us to pay ransom. Immediately the ransom is paid, we would release the victims from our hideout. I do keep the victims in my father’s compound. My father always quarrel with me that I should return the stolen items back to the victims. Whenever I saw the pressure from him was becoming too much, I would take all the stolen items to our hideout in Obialor. It is true that my father had reported to the Igwe and Council of Elders that I am a kidnapper and armed robber. I have kidnapped some victims in our community and collected millions of naira as ransom from them. The policemen in my community who my father reported to, we almost attacked them. But we then decided to relocate from the community to our hideout in a forest where we have all our arms and ammunition which we used in our operations.”

Obinna who admitted that he hails from Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, confessed that his gang had also committed more crimes.

His words: “We killed one of the drivers who was in our captivity who we kidnapped and threw his corpse into the soakaway after we had collected ransom on him from his family. We always wear army uniforms during our operation.”

“Since the Anti-Kidnapping Squad operatives arrested me, my father has told the operatives not to allow me to return again to the community. I am totally ready to face the law of the land. I thought I could repent but it was too late for me. I want the operatives to have mercy on me,” he stated.

The other suspect, Ikechukwu Opara said he regretted joining a gang of kidnappers.

“I hail from Ohaji Local Government Area of Imo State. I am a bricklayer by profession, but I also joined the kidnap gang, where I serve as the native doctor, I do some charms whenever we were going out for kidnapping operations. We used the charm to protect ourselves. But later, the charms failed us and this made the policemen to engage us in a serious encounter. Two of us were arrested while other gang members escaped with bullet wounds. We have taken the police to our hideouts to show them all our arms and ammunition. We have also confessed to them about our involvement in kidnapping activities and the abduction of many victims,” he told Saturday Sun.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr Rabiu has assured that the suspects would soon be charged to court. (Courtesy Saturday Sun)

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