Suspect Lures, Kidnaps Uncle

The suspect; Tony Anene

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

The alarming spate of kidnapping especially those instigated by insiders, was again brought to the fore weekend, when the Nigerian Army (NA) arrested one Tony Anene, who connived with two others who are currently at large, to kidnap his uncle, Mr. Dominic Nwaezeapu.

Pretending to be Mr. Augustine Ehikioya, the Economic Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan,  the suspect had on April 9, called and lured the victim out of the house and then kidnapped him in company of his accomplices.

Based on his insider status, Anene who was fully aware of the victim's long standing relationship with Ehikioya, capitalised on it and convinced the victim to come for a meeting where the land squabble would be settled amicably. 

The 37-year old Delta State indigene had colluded with two other persons to kidnap his uncle over a land issue gone awry in the guise of being the economic adviser, but investigations revealed that money might have also factored in.

It was disclosed that the kidnapper, Anene cashed in on the fact that his uncle’s son who resides in Abu Dhabi had visited the country recently for a wedding and had perhaps given the victim some money.

THISDAY gathered that prior to the victim's release by the men of the NA Quick Response Group (QRG), he had been blindfolded and locked up in isolation for three days without food or water in order to break his resistance. 

The victim who was kidnapped in Delta State was being taken to Lagos by the suspects when they were accosted by the QRG during a routine stop and search operation along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. 

The QRG which operates along that route had stopped the suspect's car, a blue Honda with registration number LND 751 AP, when it sighted the flat and torn tyre of the vehicle. 

The suspects would have probably succeeded in beating the check point had the victim not summoned courage to disclose that he was kidnapped. 

While speaking with THISDAY, Anene who did not deny his involvement, confirmed that there was indeed a land dispute that they were trying to resolve in the village but added that he had begged his uncle not to attend the supposed meeting. 

He said, "My uncle is a nice man so when he told me that he got a call from the economic adviser to come for a meeting, I told him not to go to anywhere but he did."

Confirming the incident, the 9 Brigade Commander, Ikeja Cantonment, Brigadier General Adeniyi Oyebade, said the kidnapping was successful because it was an insider that was close to the victim that engineered it.

Gen Oyebade said, “The Nigerian Army Quick Response Group which operates on Lagos-Ibadan-Ogere axis stopped a Honda car, Blue in colour with registration number: LND 751 AP in Kaba village somewhere around Ogun State.

“They observed that the vehicle was just wobbling along with one of the tyres in bad shape. During the on-the-spot interrogation as part of their stop and search operations, somebody in the vehicle shouted that he was being kidnapped victim.

“On hearing that shout, two out of the kidnappers jumped out of the vehicle and fled into the bush but Anene was apprehended and brought into the military custody for interrogation."

Oyebade said asides the money issue, another theory which they are still trying to unravel was the fact that there was a land dispute in Oshimili local government area of Delta State in particular Okpoije Umueze quarters in Ibuzor.

He said, “It was under the guise of the land dispute that the elderly man was kidnapped using the name of the Economic Adviser to lure him out of his house.

"Our investigation has exonerated the economic adviser who has nothing to do with the kidnapping incident rather his name was merely used to lure the victim out because the victim knows the economic adviser very well and they have been relating for the past 10 years."

He said the NA was synergising with other security agencies to track down the two suspects that escaped as Anene had disclosed that were in possession of the weapons used for the operation.

He said in line with the directive from the General Officer Commanding, 81 Division, Major General Obi Umahi, the force would continue to support the Nigeria Police towards ensuring that crimes rate was brought to the barest minimum in the state.

While stressing that Lagos was now a “no-go area” for kidnappers or any form of criminality, he warned criminal elements still hibernating in Lagos or those who have the intention to commit crime in the state to find another place for their criminal activities or be ready to be weeded out of existence.