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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