From Chuks Onuoha Umuahia
The Nigerian Army has smashed a suspected notorious kidnappers gang that has been terrorising Abia State.One of the suspects allegedly committed suicide while another was arrested by the Nigerian Army.
The suspect believed to be the leader of the fourman gang that allegedly shot and abducted a victim at Ohafia, and took him to Nkporo town in Ohafia Local Government Area where they were demanding for ransom before residents made a distress call to the Army. At a press conference in Umuahia, the Army Public Relations Officer (APRO), Major Sydneyv Mbaneme said the suspect committed suicide while escaping arrest. “He was escaping from arrest and jumped from he window of the building he was hiding to another building’s roof which caved in and he hit his head on the floor and died on the spot.”
Mbaneme, said two Ak 47 rifles, nine Magazines loaded with 124 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, one pistol, two rounds of 9 mm ammunition, two cutlasses 6 GSM handsets, one chain, one ipad, a wrap of substance suspected to be Indian hemp, two motor number plates, one camouflage jungle hat, one ATM and the N5,490,000.
Mbaneme said that in a follow up search the next day being Saturday, April 9, 2016, the army recovered a Toyota Rav 4 with registration number MUS 428 RZ, used in kidnap- ping the rescued victim, bunch of keys, one Generator set and two empty travelling bags. He explained that the incident happened when troops deployed in Abiriba received a distress call from a community in Nkporo over movement of persons suspected to be kidnappers were noticed in their area. “The troops on receipt of the call, swiftly responded and on getting there, arrested one of the suspected kidnappers, Chidiebere Sunday, while two escaped into the bush, the fourth, trying to escape jumped on top of the roof of a neighbouring house, fell into the house through the ceiling, hit his head on the ground and died and in that process their victim was rescued.”He said that the victim, who was shot and kidnapped on Wednesday, April 6, 2016 is responding to treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
According to him, the body of the deceased kidnapper had been taken away by the police at Nkporo while the arrested kidnapper and the recovered items are in the custody of the 14 Brigade , Ohafia.Sunday, 39 denied knowledge of the kidnap business.
He said that he came home for the funeral ceremony of his father and after informing his friend, one Ifeanyi of the burial, he asked him to come and take some money.
He explained that it was in the process of going to collect the money from Ifeanyi that the army swooped on them and he was arrested while Ifeanyi escaped.