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| Bamigbetan |
By Chiemelie Ezeobi
In what many has described as a major breakthrough in
cracking the major kidnap syndicate in Lagos State, operatives of the Special
Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), at the wee hours of yesterday engaged in a shoot out
with the gang responsible for the kidnap of the Ejigbo Local Council
Development Area (LCDA) Chairman, Kehinde Bamigbetan.
Led by its Officer-in-Charge, Abba Kyari, a Superintendent
of Police, the operatives had mounted a heavy surveillance at the kidnapper's
hideout at Agbara, Ogun State, for three days before they broke into the house
hours after the gang had kidnapped an Indian, Mr. Vivex Changrani.
Preliminary investigations further revealed that the same
group including its mastermind, Nigerian-born Chinese national, Jonah Osinachi
Benjamin, were also behind the kidnap of the Federal High Court Judge, Justice
Vivour Rhodes, her daughter and driver, as well as other notable individuals in
Lagos and its environs.
During the gun duel, six members of the notorious kidnap
syndicate and their gang leader were shot dead, while two others; 27-year-old
Ogbonna Emenike and 25-years-old Uchenna Nwanyu, were arrested by the SARS
squad.
The police also recovered four AK47 rifles, 28 AK47
magazines fully loaded, over 1000 rounds of AK47live ammunition, army uniforms,
one Honda CRV Jeep with registration number ABC106AE and a Nissan Pathfinder
with registration number AGL730AZ.
The suspects had after Bamigbetan's kidnap fled to Ghana for
safety after a manhunt was mounted for them. Months afterwards, they stole back
into the country and relocated to Agbara, Ogun State, where they continued
their operations.
Acting on a tip off, SARS Operatives trailed them to their
hideout and mounted surveillance opposite the house in question. It was
gathered that the operatives even rented a shop where they sold rice and other
foodstuffs in order to monitor the workings in the house.
Their monitoring paid off after three days of surveillance
and they caught the suspects after they had kidnapped an Indian. When arrested
the two suspects confessed that they fled to Ghana with the 100,000 dollars
ransom which they got from Bamigbetan's relatives although the Chinese took 50,
0000 and shared the rest amongst other suspects.
On the arrest, THISDAY gathered that the operatives had
stormed into the building after the suspects had arrived with their victim.
Although they attempted to flee after they were overpowered by the police,
operatives who were stationed round the building brought them down.
Briefing journalists yesterday at the Police Command
Headquarters, Ikeja, the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, said the arrests
was made possible because of hired-powered surveillance on the suspects before
the police struck.
He said, "In a continued effort to get rid of
kidnappers disturbing Lagos, we identified a place in Agbara, Ogun State, that
is being used by the kidnappers to come into Lagos and kidnap innocent people
for ransom.
"When Bamigbetan was kidnapped I told you that the
suspects fled to Ghana. We followed up but unfortunately, we could not make a
break because of the regulations there. In fact, we went with a team of
Interpol to Ghana because they are the only one accredited by the law.
"But after spending 31 days and our plan to arrest the
suspects was foiled by the Ghanaian authorities because it violated the terms
of their nation's regulations, we asked the Interpol to come back and
fortunately, the suspects came back to Nigeria to begin another phase of
kidnapping but we were ready for them."
He added, "I am happy to tell you that almost all the
gang had an encounter with SARS
operatives led by the OC SARS
himself. We mounted surveillance at their hideout and noticed that they come to
Lagos on weekends and kidnap their victims.
"While surveillance was on, the suspects swooped at
Ikoyi and kidnapped an Indian. We knew they would bring back their victim to
their hideout so our men lay in wait. My men later stormed their house and
engaged them in a shoot out and seven of them were killed while two were
arrested alive.
"We also rescued the kidnapped Indian and recovered
four AK47 rifles, 28 AK47 magazines gully loaded, over 1000 rounds of AK47 live
ammunition, army uniforms, one Honda CRV Jeep and a Nissan Pathfinder
jeep."
Manko said the command would continue to go after other
members of the gang until they are all behind bars. On the army uniforms found
on the suspects, he added that it was a worrisome trend that the gang uses in
luring their victims.
He sounded a note of warning to other criminal elements in
the state to leave of face the full wrath of the law when arrested, adding that
the command is at the top of security situations in the state.
Speaking to THISDAY, one of the suspects, Uchenna Nwanyu,
said he was not in the know of the gang's source of livelihood, adding that the
deceased Benjamin merely incorporated him to manage his restaurant in Ghana.
He said, "I don't know about any kidnap gang. The only
deal I know Oga Jonah whom we call China was in was drugs. He told me that he
was into drugs and I followed him because I had bad luck in business. I had no
choice but to follow him to Ghana because I wanted to make end's meet.
"I came into Lagos yesterday for Ghana with China's
wife because China wanted me to acquire an international passport for her. He
told me to come and pick the money. I was in his house when the police came
calling. I am not a kidnapper. This arrest has spoiled my dreams of managing
the restaurant which I laboured to build from the scratch."
Another suspect who was also paraded in Army uniform,
Ogbonna Emenike, told THISDAY that he just came out from prison last week
Monday after spending five years behind bars at the Kirikiri Medium Prison,
Apapa, Lagos. According to him, his foray into joining the gang was fueled by
his desire to eat.
He said, "I came out on Monday from prison and I was
trying to survive but it wasn't easy because the life I knew was not the same.
As fate had it, I bumped into Nonso (one of the deceased suspects), and he
introduced me to the gang and how lucrative it was. I joined up and funny
enough, I will probably end up in the same place I was in for five years."
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