By Tochi Onyeubi
In her continued bid to rid the state of criminals, the Imo State Police Command has made another breakthrough, following series of operations which led to the tracking down of a gang responsible for the abduction of over 10 persons, which left six to die in captivity.
The group which was alleged to not only terrorizing Imo, were also gang members of the dreaded and vicious late robbery kingpin, Henry Chibueze, popularly called Vampire, who was gunned down in 2017.
The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Ladodo, informed newsmen that, a combined team of operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and Anti-Kidnapping Squad tracked one of the most wanted kingpins in Imo state, Chijioke Ekiti, 35, to his hideout in Orodo, Mbatoli Local Government Area, on November 20, 2019. He was shot dead in the ensued gunfight, while resisting arrest.
According to the CP, the rest of his gang, were arrested two days later, on November 22, during a botched kidnap and robbery operation.
Superintendent of Police, Linus Nwaiwu, Commander of the Anti-kidnapping Squad, while fielding questions from newsmen, said, “All the six suspects in police net, identified as Chijioke Nwankwo, 25, Chinedu Joseph, 39, Ndubusi Anyawu, 22, Ebere Uzoma, 38, Tochi Igwe, 24 and Christian Chukwuemeka, 30, are ex-convicts who had served a minimum of four years in Owerri prison before their release in 2017 and 2018.”
“They had quickly re-grouped and formed a new gang, even while members of their old gang are still languishing in Owerri Prison awaiting trial at the Imo State High Court, Owerri.”
Interviewing one of the suspect, Chijioke Nwankwo, the lieutenant of the slain ringleader, Chjioke Ekiti. Nwankwo, the only son of a businesswoman, grew up in Aba where he had his primary and secondary education, but dropped out of the University of Jos in 2012 where he was studying Geology, owing to his father’s death, according to him.
“It was my friend who introduced me to kidnapping. He taught me how to kidnap victims and keep them in the bush. I was with him and witnessed how victims’ relatives paid millions of naira as ransoms of which I received some share of the money,” he said.
Nwankwo blamed greed and bad company for his predicament, and vowed that his mother didn’t know he was into kidnapping.
The native of Amani in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State admitted to having kidnapped over 10 victims.
The suspect, Chijoke Nwankwo and his slain boss, Chijioke Ekiti, according to reports, were responsible for no less than 15 kidnap cases across Imo, Abia and Rivers state.
Exhibits recovered, was N800, 000 as well as two pump action, double barrel guns.
Commissioner of Police, CP Ladodo has assured that, they will be charged to court.
