Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abia State Command, have arrested a notorious suspected kidnapper, identified as Kingsley Ogbonna, believed to be a member of a four-man kidnap syndicate operating in the Aba axis of the state.
Ogbonna was arrested over his alleged involvement in the abduction of an Aba-based man for which his gang demanded a ransom of N100 million.
The kidnapped victim was rescued after five days in the custody of his abductor following information from members of the public about Ogbonna’s suspicious activities.
Mr. Paul Igwebuike, the NSCDC Commandant of the state, who disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday, did not reveal the name of the kidnapped person for security reasons.
Igwebuike, however, said his men were on a routine patrol when they received distress calls from a reliable informant about the kidnap kingpin, who is a native of Edda in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi and was arrested by the Command’s Special Force on July 2 for his alleged involvement in the June 29 kidnap.
The commandant said that the victim was kidnapped at the gate of his house in Aba while waiting for his gateman to open the gate for him and was whisked away in his car.
He further disclosed that after moving him to a safe place, they demanded the sum of N100 million ransom from his relatives.
According to him, the suspects fired shots at the point of kidnapping, which attracted the attention of security operatives in the area.
The NSCDC said that although the hoodlums later reduced the ransom to N10 million, “our joy is that the victim was successfully released without ransom.”
MUK TV understands that the victim had since been reunited with his family.
“From our preliminary investigations and confessional statements, the suspect is a member of a cruel four-member kidnapping gang believed to have been behind many high-profile kidnapping cases in the state.
“We are working closely with relevant security agencies to bring them to justice,” he disclosed.
He revealed that the suspect was already facing prosecution and would face capital punishment in line with the extant laws of the land if convicted.
One AK-47 assault rifle, one magazine, 21 rounds of live ammunition, and a cutlass were recovered from the kidnapper, according to the Igwebuike.
Others were seven ATM cards bearing different names and belonging to different commercial banks.
