The Anambra State Police Command has arrested
38-year-old wanted kidnap suspect, Okafor, a
graduate of Mathematics from the Nnamdi
Azikiwe University, Awka.
Okafor popularly known as Igwe did not only fall afoul
of the law as a kidnapper, he also messed up the
temple of God by keeping his victims in a church and
sharing his loot with the pastor.
Once on a mission to collect N5 million ransom from
the family of victim in Asaba, Delta State, he was
rounded up by crack policemen and locked up in a
cell.
Okafor, however, escaped through the window of the
cell to continue his evil trade until the hardworking
members of the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in
Anambra ended his reign of terror.
The kidnap kingpin spoke with Sunday Sun: “I
graduated from Unizik in 2006 and I studied
Mathematics. I did my NYSC in Abuja and I served in
NNPC at Berger. After graduation I was going to
Ghana to buy clothes to sell in Lagos State.
“I am now involved totally in kidnapping where I make
quick money. When I kidnapped I used to take my
victims to my church in Awkuzu where the General
Overseer, Pastor Nwaezeagu always collects the
victims from us and at the end, we would give him his
own share. We decided to join the church so that the
members would not suspect us that we were keeping
some victims we kidnapped inside the church.”
“I was the one who was involved in the kidnapping of
the traditional prime minister in Enugu-Ukwu and we
collected N50 million from the victim before we
released him and I gave Pastor Nwaezeagu his 20 per
cent share on that day.
“I kidnapped another woman in Awka and collected
N30 million from the family of victim and kept her in
the church and, after the family paid the ransom, I
released the suspect and I gave Pastor Nwaezeagu
the sum of N200,000.”
Okafor who hails from Anambra West Local
Government Area continued: “Myself and my gang
kidnapped one victim, Chief John Uchachuwu at
Asaba and we demanded the sum of N5 million. The
family of the victim called me to come and take the
money at Asaba. When I got to Asaba I collected the
N5 million but the policemen from the anti-kidnap
arrested me and they took me to Delta State and put
me inside their cell.”
He said that he escaped through the toilet of the cell
and quickly moved to Anambra State to continue his
kidnapping job.
“I was arrested in Onitsha market by the men of SARS
and I have confessed to them about my involvement
in kidnapping,” he said.
Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ballah
Nasarawa told Sunday Sun that the suspect had been
declared wanted by Anambra State Police Command
before he was eventually arrested on September 2,
2013 in Onitsha.
The police commissioner said Okafor was the same
suspect that the Delta State Police Command declared
wanted after he escaping from the cell through the
toilet in 2013.
He stated that the suspect had kept several victims he
kidnapped in the church in which he was a member
and which he used as a hideout.
CP Nasarawa added that, besides the kidnap
instances that Okafor gave, the suspect was
also behind the abduction of the Chairman of
Association of Electronics Dealers in Nnewi and
collected N30 million that he shared among his gang
members and released the victim from the church in
which he was kept.
Also commenting about Okafor, Delta State
Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba
told Sunday Sun that the notorious kidnapper had
with his gang kidnapped one Chief John Uchachuwu
in Asaba and they demanded N5 million as ransom
and the police played along as they negotiated
ransom payment. He was told to come and collect the
money in Asaba. It was in the process of collecting
the ransom that he was arrested.
“Also we had to rescue the victim, Chief Uchachuwu
while the suspect, Okafor came to Asaba to collect the
ransom of N5million. What shocked me was that the
notorious kidnapper, Okafor escaped from the cell in
our custody despite the fact that he has injury on his
legs. The policemen involved were one ASP, one
Inspector and one Corporal. I had to detain them in
my custody.
“I have written to my AIG in charge of Zone 5, Benin
who appreciated that action had been taken. They will
definitely face the music. How can a notorious
kidnapper escape from their custody?” he queried.
CP Aduba added that later the information got to him
that the SARS in Anambra had re-arrested the
kidnapper and I sent my officers to Anambra State
Police Command and they saw him.
“There was a time we traced Okafor to Niger Republic
and Ghana and he escaped. We couldn’t take over the
case from Anambra State Police Command because
he did a lot more of kidnapping in Anambra State
than Delta State and he has more questions to
answer in Anambra State Police Command and they
should continue their investigation,” he stated.
The Anambra police boss assured that the suspect
would soon be charged to court after investigation
had been concluded.
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