Three suspected kidnappers, identified as Isiaka Hamidu (30), Nwasaneo Goodluck (34), Victor Nwidee (29), and ThankGod Bariledun (36), have been arrested by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Bureau FIB-IRT over the kidnap of Hassana Adamu, the wife of a popular businessman in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. It was gathered that the culprits collected N20 million in ransom before releasing the victim.
While speaking on what prompted him to commit the crime, the prime suspect, Isiaka Hamidu said, “One of my brothers worked for Alhaji Musa Ahmad for 11 years. When he left to get married, all Alhaji Ahmad could pay my brother was N250,000.”
“I was not happy with him because everyone knew he was very rich and could afford more than that. I decided to kidnap him or any member of his family. I contacted Goodluck, a long-time friend, and told him about the situation. He was also angry and bought my kidnapping idea.”
“Good luck,” in turn, called the leader of the gang, Ojukwu, who mobilized and coordinated the woman’s kidnapping, after I showed them her house. But I did not join them for the operation so that no one would recognize me.”
When asked how much he got and what he did with his own share of the ransom collected, Isiaka said he got N1.3 million and used N1 million of it to sleep with commercial sex workers while using the remaining N300,000 to plant corn in his village.
On his part, Goodluck who has a Higher National Diploma holder from the Abia State Polytechnic Aba, admitted to having collected N5.5millon from the leader of the gang after ransom was paid.
”Out of it, I took N2 million, gave Isiaka N1.3 million while Victor got N500,000.”
Another suspect, ThankGod, claimed he had no idea that members of the gang were into kidnapping. He said he was contacted to use his vehicle to convey them to a place in Bori Khana Local Government Area of the state, after the kidnap.
”Leader of the gang told me to take him somewhere in my car. On the way I picked three other friends of his . From there, he directed me to where it was later discovered to be close to the victim’s house, where they kidnapped her and directed me to their hideout . That was when I knew they were kidnappers”
The fourth suspect, Victor, stated that his role was to monitor the victim’s movement and relate same to other members of the gang who were waiting patiently for the appropriate time to strike. He also admitted to having collected N500,000 from Goodluck, as his share of the ransom, revealing that he used the largesse to repair his Toyota Corolla car.