…suspect gets victims using bogus business deals
Juliana Francis
The Enugu State Police Command has smashed a kidnapping gang which specialised in getting victims to be kidnapped from Facebook.
The gang’s modus operandi was discovered following their arrest by Police Operatives serving at the Udenu Police Division of the Command.
The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Daniel Ndukwe, said that the suspects were arrested on the 6th of October 2022, at about 1:25 PM.
According to Ndukwe, on that fateful day, operatives from Udenu Police Division promptly responded to a distress call, arrested six kidnapping suspects, and rescued two of their victims at Igbokwube Village, Amalla in Udenu Local Government Area.
The suspects include Okechi Chijioke, 29 and Ugwu Christiana, 24, Ndidi Ekwueme, 27.
Others are Chinwe Okoro, 35, Nwabueze Friday, 26 and Titus Ekeh, 70.
The police described Okechi Chijioke, 29 and Ugwu Christiana, 24 as principal suspects in the crime game. Ndidi Ekwueme, 27, is the juju priestess, Chinwe Okoro, 35 is the ransom receiver for the gang and Titus Ekeh, 70, is the provider of accommodation used for keeping the kidnapped victims.
Ndukwe said that an ongoing investigation revealed that the Okechi Chijioke lured the victims through Facebook, with the promise of selling cheap clothes and bags to them.
“But instead, he took them to the said location working with his cohorts and obtained a combined ransom of about N500,000.00 without releasing them, before they were apprehended and the victims rescued. One Dane gun, one mock gun, one tricycle, one gas burner, one 8-inches Winco foam, four bags containing clothing materials and other incriminating items were recovered from them. The suspects will be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded,” said Ndukwe.
