17th September, 2015
Two kidnap suspects were intercepted by members of a vigilance group in Kogi, who killed one of them and arrested his colleague.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, who confirmed the incident to newsmen on Thursday in Lokoja, said the suspects met their waterloo while escaping with their victim, Mrs Mary Ocheje.
He said that on Sept. 16 at about 8 p.m., the suspects forced their way into Ocheje’s residence at Owele area in Ankpa, blindfolded and took her away in her Honda car.
“While escaping, the car developed fault; the suspects abandoned the car and snatched a motorcycle from its owner.
“But unfortunately for them, the owner of the motorcycle alerted his fellow villagers through his mobile phone that he had been robbed of his motorcycle,” the Commissioner said.
Ojukwu said that the youths of the village, Imere in Igalamela LGA, had gathered to discuss the incident when the suspects and their victim suddenly appeared.
He said that the youths, who were mostly members of the village vigilance group, pounced on the suspects and beat them up.
The commissioner said that one of the suspects Ibrahim Yakubu, died in the process while his accomplice, Wada Mustapha was arrested.
He said that the villagers later called in the police who took charge of the situation.
Their victim Ocheje, described her encounter as `shocking,’ saying the suspects from their conversation knew her, her husband and other members of her family.
Ocheje, who claimed to be the Chief Agricultural Officer in Ankpa Local Government Council, said the suspects collected five mobile phones including her own before kidnapping her.
She said her abductors made her to walk bare footed over 20 kilometers when the car developed fault before they decided to snatch the motorcycle.
The surviving suspect, Mustapha, who said that he was lured into the operation, told the police that two other members of their gang were on the run.
He said that his junior sister and one of Ocheje’s children were classmate.
The Commissioner promised that the other members of the gang would be arrested and charged to court.