Police arrest killers of former Anambra Deputy Governor in Lagos
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, on Tuesday paraded three suspects, who allegedly kidnapped and murdered a former Deputy Governor of Anambra, Chudi Nwike.
Mr. Manko told journalists after the parade that the suspects were arrested, following the tracking down of one Monday Odieto in Benin, Edo, by Aisah Haruna, a Superintendent of Police, who is the Divisional Police Officer at Ikoyi, Lagos.
He said that Mr. Odieto was also involved in the kidnapping of the wife of a Supreme Court Judge, Rhodes Vivour.
Mr. Manko said that Mr. Odieto allegedly confessed to being a member of a 30- man gang of deadly kidnappers operating in the South-South and South-East axis of the country during interrogation.
He said based on the suspect’s confession, he directed Abba Kyari, another Superintendent of Police in charge of the State Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, to investigate the matter.
“After a long manhunt, one Godspower Ovwigho, 27, was tracked and arrested at Ikorodu, Lagos State, on April 23, and was identified by Monday Odieto to be a top-ranking member of the gang.
“On April 24, one Stanley Efetobor, who is also a gang member, was equally arrested by SARS.
“Efetobor confessed to be one of the gang members that rescued one of their former gang leaders, one Rufus, at Okere raid in Warri, Delta State.
“He confessed that the raid was carried out when some prisons officials were taking him to court from prison yard in early March, last year.
“The suspect confessed that several prisons officers lost their lives in that operation. He also confessed that their gang kidnapped the wife and daughter of Justice Rhodes Vivour.
“The gang members also kidnapped late Chudi Nwike, a former Deputy Governor of Anambra State on March 29, 2013,’’ Mr. Manko said.
The commissioner said the suspects’ confessional statements also revealed that one Kelvin emerged the group’s leader after they had rescued their former leader, Rufus, from the officials of the Nigeria Prison Service.
“The suspect further confessed that the gang agreed to collect N30 million as ransom from Dr Chudi Nwike’s family before he would be released.
“But Nwike’s family only brought N5 million to the gang,’’ he said.
One of the suspects, Godspower Ovwigho, speaking to journalists after the parade, alleged that Mr. Nwike was murdered because of his wife’s “hardiness’’.
He said that the gang became angry because of the refusal of the deputy governor’s wife to pay up the balance of N25 million, after the payment of the initial N5 million.
“We killed the deputy governor because his wife became so difficult. After they paid N5 million, the woman refused to pay up the balance, so Rufus shot him dead.
“He then sent message to the deceased wife to use the money to organise her husband’s burial
“We were shocked when the sum of N5 million was paid, out of the N30 million demanded for. Our leader, Rufus, became so angry that he drove those who brought the ransom away.
“When those who came to deliver the money left, Rufus came to the three bed-room apartment where we kept the victim at Kokori town in Delta State and shot him four times
“He placed another call to the wife of the victim demanding to know why the money was slashed. The woman said that was all they were able to gather.
“He then told her to use the balance to organise her husband’s burial,” the suspect said.
The suspects were taken back to SARS cell for further investigation before they would be charged to court.
(NAN)
