Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Three notorious kidnap suspects, whose modus operandi, is to abduct their victims and then get a ransom from their families before releasing them, are currently cooling their heels in the cell of the Benue State Police Command.
The kidnap suspects are said to belong to a four-man kidnap gang led by one Magudu Harris, a graduate of Industrial Chemistry from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi.
Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Ene Okon, while briefing newsmen on the arrest, disclosed that the suspects were arrested by operatives of the IGP Monitoring Unit from Abuja, in collaboration with the Force Special Anti-Robbery Squad personnel of the state command.
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Okon said Magudu, 36, had already confessed that he masterminded and executed the kidnap of a female officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) as well as that of another woman, Mrs. Veronica Jirgba from whom they collected the sum of N1 million as ransom before her release four days after her abduction.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of other members of the gang including one Anyam Terhemen, 34, who is a 2011 graduate of Psychology from the Benue State University (BSU) and Paul Keghuur, 27 an artisan. Frantic effort is being made to arrest a fleeing member of the gang identified as Loho Caleb.”
The Police Commissioner also revealed that the police had been able to identify the building where the gang always takes their victims to at the North Bank area of Makurdi as well as the golf car they normally use for the notorious act.
“The proceed from the evil business was used to build a house.
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“The police has also discovered that the modus operandi of the gang is that they take their captive blindfolded to a dark room in the building at North Bank.
“The gang leader lives not too far away from the second victim meaning that he had understudied the woman who is a wife of an engineer.
“The gang leader had worked on the North Bank building as an artisan and he was in custody of the keys which were not retrieved from him after he completed his job.
“So, he used the keys to open the building and keep the victims there.”
CP Okon urged citizens of the state to be wary of who they engage to work for them in their homes adding that if possible, they should change their lock after completion of such work to avoid a situation where criminal minded people use their property for nefarious acts.
When paraded, the three suspects all confessed to the crime and blamed the devil for their involvement in the act.