Police arrest five kidnap kingpins, six suspected cultists in Delta

Confirm dismissal of three policemen for robbery

In its determination to eradicate crimes in Delta State, the Police Command has arrested five kidnap kingpins, six suspected cultists and confirmed the dismissal of three policemen who were allegedly involved in armed-robbery recently.

The state Police Commissioner, Zanna Ibrahim, who confirmed this yesterday at a media briefing in Asaba, identified the suspects as: Ignatius Obagha (alias IG), Obed Ikenna Oluchi 23 and Mustapha Ali (alias Babayo) 28, Ifeanyi Aniekwe 24 and Ifeanyi Nwosu 23

He added that their victim, Amobi Molokwu, narrowly escaped their attempt to kidnap him around Corner Stone International School, Okpanam Road, Asaba. Ibrahim said the hoodlums, however, succeeded in robbing Molokwu of his Rav4 Jeep with Registration No: ASB176AV, his phones, cash and other valuables.

He disclosed that the Police, acting on a tip-off through intelligence gathering, arrested Ignatius Obagha from who the victim’s Infinix Phone was recovered, adding that the suspect confessed to the crime and mentioned his cohorts some of whom have been arrested and now in police custody, while others are still at large.

Ibrahim also said the syndicate also confessed to most car robberies and kidnapping within Asaba, Okpanam and their environs as Oluchi and another suspect now at large, confessed to the robbery operation at Globe Supermarket, Okpanam road.

They also confessed to the murder of Festus Ashiedu on July 27, 2017 while the trials of other fleeing gang members and recovery of the Rav 4 Jeep were ongoing. On the arrest of the suspected cultists, he said that the six suspects forcefully took one Odiachi Ikechukwu (male) and resident of Umu-Akpe Street, Umusadege Kwale into the bush behind his father’s house where they allegedly initiated him into the Viking Confraternity.

He said that the suspects also allegedly forced their victim to cut his thumb and drank his own blood, adding that efforts were on to bring other fleeing suspects to book. On the dismissed three police officers, Ibrahim explained that they were arrested on a tip-off after they had handcuffed their victims conveying 33, 000 liters of petroleum along the Agbor-Benin expressway and dumped him in the bush but unfortunately, one of them lost his cell phone, which was found by the police detectives.  

He added that the suspects had since their arrest been undergoing departmental proceedings, which were recently completed and found them guilty, leading to their dismissal as they would be arraigned in court on Monday. He gave their names as: Ex-FN/NO. 375631 Sgt. Christopher Onyegho, Ex-F/NO 413318 Sgt. Nwakem Ebonzim, and Ex-F/NO 441254 Sgt. Michael Chima.