The Battle Royal between Anambra police and Kidnappers By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu

THE Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS)of the Anambra state police command led by James Nwafor , the officer in charge of SARS, Saturday night engaged a team of kidnappers terrorizing the state in the last four years in a gun dwell after demanding a ransom of N50 Million from their victim one Mrs Edith Maduekwe.

Trouble started according to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Uche Ezeh when Edith’s family later negotiated down the ransom and paid N1.4 Million to the kidnappers and on a tip off , the SARS operatives stormed the Okpoko hide out in Onitsha where they were sharing the ransom money.

But on sighting the police, the kidnappers opened fire on the SARS team but the superior fire arm of the police , according to Ezeh overwhelmed the kidnappers scattering them and three sustained gun wounds while others are still at large.

The three arrested with gun wounds were one 24 years Charles Alozie , 23 years old Kingsley Eze and one Ikechukwu who could not say his surname, however died but not without giving the police useful information about all the members of their gangs. Edith was recovered in a Gully erosion site at Oraukwu, Idemmili South local government area. She was kidnapped at Oba , also in Idemili South.

Recovered items

Police recovered at the hideout the sum of N776,000, assorted charms, one AK47 with 90 rounds of ammunition and one pump action as well as 10 live cartridges.

Ezeh informed that the suspects who sustained gun injury later led the police to where they kept their kidnap victim, Mrs Edith Maduekwe although police did not disclose much about the woman for security reasons but she was released to her family without the preying eyes of the press catching her.

Most wanted Kidnapper in Anambra

This is coming as there was jubilation from almost all police quarters over the arrest of one of the kidnappers identified as ‘’Charly Packer’ known for his prowess in harvesting victims for kidnap and the attendant looting thereto from their victims.

The police described Charly Packer as the most wanted kidnapper of all times in Anambra state and environs but was elusive for years  until last night they engaged police in a shootout leading to their sustaining of injury but he eventually died.   

17 suspects paraded

The parade also paraded 17 suspects for committing various criminal offences ranging from armed robbery, to baby trafficking and faking of police officers among others at the Headquarters of SARS Awkuzu.

One of the suspects paraded for armed robbery, Ezenwoke Fred Ogbori from Egbema, Rivers state is an HND 1 student of Electrical Engineering , Federal Polytechnic, Oko Anambra state. He was arrested along three others including one Frank for allegedly being in possession of  a locally made pistol about 9 pm on 27^th October by a team of vigilance men and policemen.

Ogbori confirmed the story labeled against him and others put said they have not started robbing the girl even though they blocked the girls way before they were arrested with a locally made pistol.

Baby trafficking

On their part, 22 years old Chidiebere Ohanonu from Okija, Ihiala local government area and a cleaner of Hammercup , a charity hospital belonging to Obijackson , an oil magnet was paraded for selling her baby three days after delivery for N200,000.

Miss Ohanonu claimed her boy friend one Obinna from Awkuzu, Oyi local government Area impregnated her at Lagos and she returned to the village to avoid public scorn  before running into an old friend Chichi who educated her on how to sell the baby and later introduced her to one of the traffickers known as Dozie .

Dozie assured her that she would sell the baby at delivery and when she became jittery , he called her some unprintable names and her morale was boosted for the deal.

She narrated how they took her to a hospital at Upper Iweka for delivery at night and how she delivered and they sold her baby boy off , giving her N200,000 despite that she was crying that it was against her wish. She however collected the money and invested in a Refrigerator and a Generator before giving her sick mother N50,000 for medical care. She said her mother , a provision dealer at Okija has no knowledge of what she did.   

Another baby Trafficker

Another  32 years old Oluchi Eze from Umuoma ,Uli in Ihiala local government was paraded for a completed trafficking deal of a one year old male baby for N400,000. She is the managing director of Mancho Hotel in the community with 18 rooms brothel. She admitted engaging in a discussion for the sell of a baby but has not touched any money yet. Also arrested as accomplish is Okechukwu Ojiewulu who confessed they had sold another female child for N270,000 on 26^th October, 2014.

She said on 28^th of October this year that one Ikenna approached her to buy a baby at her restaurant and she queried him on why he would like to sell his child but Ikenna said he has no money to take care of the child and the best option was to sell the baby off.

She then called a colleague Bomel who also owns a hotel to come for the offer and Ikenna and Bomel negotiated for the sale of the baby and agreed on N400,000 but Gomel said Ikenna said he would give the owner of the baby N300,000 and gave her promise of her own share, only for her to be arrested later by SARS.

But SARS is claiming they used Bomel to track her in her colour that Bomel was not part of her deals…………..

Fake Commissioner of Police and DSP arrested

It was amusing as interesting when a 20 years old boy from Nnewi Anambra state was paraded as faking the state commissioner of police Delta state as lured into by another fake DSP Ada Nze whose late husband Aloysius was an Inspector in the police force. They were arrested at Ozubulu for defrauding one Azegba Gabriel of Umuneke of N245,000 to buy a bus for him.

Ada, 43 years old from Orlu Imo state claimed to be a police auctioneer with the Nigerian police and she never called herself a DSP but people are calling her that and that she used the young boy to let a man she collected N245,000 to buy a bus for him during auction to have patient and never intended to defraud with her prank before it became an issue. She claimed she told the boy to say he was calling from CP meaning Central Police but the boy said Commissioner of Police . This tale the young boy collaborated and appealed for mercy as he only obeyed a woman that asked for his favour unknown it was a big joke.

Car snatching

A syndicate of four specialized in selling snatched vehicles were also paraded including 38 years old Oliver Adaonu from Enugu Ezike , a blacksmith; Peter Nnadike 56 years old from Agwa in Oguta, Imo state , an Insurance personnel ; Chigozie Obeleagu , 26 years old a businessman in Onitsha main market  and Kelechukwu Okoye , 35 years old from Orlu , Imo state an Auto painter.

Chigozie claimed that he just bought a Sienna Toyota car for N1 Million unknown to him that it was a stolen vehicle as he met the dealer on his way to Cotonu but had to take it to a mechanic and was arrested when he went to claim his car back. But Oliver claimed his offence was that Chigozie was directed him to work on his Engine number but after doing that police said it was a stolen Sienna car.

Peter on his own said he has no knowledge of whatever crime the others committed as he was in his office as an Insurance man and the they brought a vehicle for him to give them papers which he did at the normal rate of N30,000 only for him  to  be arrested.

Oliver admitted that it was not long he bought equipments for changing engine numbers of vehicles but was into grounding engine top and repairing of radiator  until he was lured into the business in the last one year but did not say who lured him.

Vandals also paraded

A 4 man gang of vandals who specialized in vandalizing High tension and Transformers where paraded also for vandalizing Armoured cable at Akwu-ukwu in Oba Idemmili.

They are 30 yeas Onyemachi Chibuzor from Umuahia, Abia state who deals on scrap at Ochanja scrap market ; 26 years old Udochukwu Okoli from Okija who is an apprentice electrician and Asuquo Effiong from Calabar , a shoe cobbler as well 21 years old Chibuzor Udensi who deals on Electronics.   They were arrested by the youths of the village and were later handed over to the vigilance men who handed them over to the SARS. 

Onyemachi said he only bought scrap once and not armoured cables , lamenting that they in the scrap market does not often know the source of their wares. He said he does not know the man outside the business area.  

The others admitted to the crime but said it was not long they joined the trade.

Rape and Posting of Nude pictures online

Four suspects were also paraded for raping one Lovelyn after being lured by a friend she met on 2go social media. Those paraded were a 17 years old Onyinye Nnamani from Neke , Enugu state who is 5 months pregnant for his boy friend 24 years Chinonso Nwankwo from Akamunato , Ifite-Nteje who was her accomplice. Also arrested were their neigbour 21 years Sopulu Onwuka from Okija and Agu Chinonso from Udi , Enugu state. , the last two had no knowledge of what Onyinye and her boy friend Nwankwo Chinonso were upto but were muddled up in the mess, they explained and confirmed by Onyinye and her boyfriend.

  Nwankwo admitted taking video of the nakedness of Lovelyn but did not post it online and equally admitted forcefully collecting her ATM to collect money from her account while his girl friend said her boy friend reacted that way injuring her because the girl wanted to force her into lesbianism and they were caught by her boy friend.

The girl was pleading that they should not make it public encouraging her boyfriend  into blackmailing her to part with money or he makes it public bu the girl left and brought vigilance group that were up to 30 . The vigilance group asked her to   name somebody that would bail him out and he called Agu Chinonso a former neigbour who went to the police and reported the incident and went with police to rescue him as he said he was in danger but the vigilance people were unhappy that he involved police and they ended up in SARS after the police insisted they would make  statement. And on his part Sopulu said he was a welder and came back to meet a new girl outside the boy and his girl friend and queried them on who the girl was before they decided to see her off and the next thing was problem upon problem.