Breaking News: How I delivered ransom amount to kidnappers of GUO Motors boss - personal driver

 www.odogwublog.com reports that the Personal driver to Chief Godwin Ubaka Okeke, Chairman of
GUO Motors Limited, Mr Ikechukwu Okere, yesterday gave a graphic account of how some of the suspected kidnappers abducted his boss Okeke on Sunday, August 23, 2009 at the premises of All Saints Anglican Church Cathedral, Onitsha, Anambra State.

He spoke at an Onitsha High Court II presided over by Justice Alexander Okuma. He revealed how he personally drove the vehicle that took the unspecified amount of ransom to them the next day before Okeke could be released from their captivity.


Testifying before the court as second Prosecution Witness, PW2 at a resumed hearing of the proceeding preferred against three accused persons, Kelechi Okafor, Anthony Okafor and Alexander Onyinanya who are currently standing trial for allegedly participating in Okeke's kidnap, Okere said Lady Pat Okeke, wife of the kidnap victim sent him out on Monday evening, a day after the kidnap, between 6.30 and 7 p.m. to drive the bag containing the ransom to wherever the kidnappers wanted it and deliver it to them, so that her husband, Okeke could be released.


Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Chris Ajugwe, Okere said as he was driving out with an SUV containing the ransom, Okeke's wife gave him the phone number of the kidnappers and instructed him to be in constant contact with them until the money was delivered safely to them, so that they would in turn, release Okeke from their captivity.


He said he was accompanied on the journey by one Daniel Okeke, adding that on contacting them on phone, the kidnappers directed him to come to Nkwo Nnewi Triangle and meet with them, adding that on getting to the Triangle and calling them, they directed him to come to Nnobi and on getting to Nnobi, they wasted some time and told him to drive back to Nnewi and on getting back to Nnewi, they told him to drive to Agulu and on getting to Agulu, they told him to come back to Nnobi with his roof light and one-way trafficator switched on for proper identification and on his way to Nnobi they blocked him at a place very close to Okacha Junction.


He said as  they alighted from their own vehicle with which they used in blocking his own vehicle, they starting shooting sporadically with all their headlamp on, adding that as they were shooting, some commuters plying the road abandoned their vehicles with headlamps on and ran into the bush.


He said at once, the second defendant, Anthony Ifeanyi Okafor and others members of his gang ordered him to open the SUV boot which he did and he dropped his gun and inspected the bag containing the ransom, after which they collected his SUV keys and drove off with the vehicle, leaving their own vehicle for him and Okeke who they just freed from their captivity.


He said as they zoomed off, he and Okeke drove the kidnappers' vehicle to nearby Neni police station where Okeke made an entry before they left for Onitsha, with police escort.


In a cross examination by Oliver Oduma, counsel to the first defendant, Kelechi Okafor, Okere told the court that he never knew Kelechi before the kidnap, neither did he see him at the scene of either the kidnap at All Saints Church, Onitsha or at the scene of handing over the ransom payment at the place close to Okacha Junction.


Also in a cross examination by Uchenna Nwafor, counsel to the second defendant, Anthony Ifeanyi Okafor, Okere insisted that it was Anthony Ifeanyi that inspected the ransom bag and at a stage, told him: "get out!", adding that when eventually Anthony Ifeanyi was arrested and detained at Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Awkuzu and invited him for identification, he went to SARS and at once identified him as one of the kidnappers who inspected the ransom at Okacha Junction with headlamps of vehicles of fleeing commuters beaming on all of them as the ransom was being inspected.


Okere also informed the court in a cross examination by Jideofor Okongwu, counsel to the third defendant, Alexander Onyinanya that Onyinanya was a former staff of Onitsha North Vigilante Operatives who worked at Okeke's home town, Adazi-Ani before he was posted out, adding that Onyinanya even visited Okeke's home town barely a week or two before the August 23, 2009 kidnap incident, to see a fellow vigilante operative known as Nwa-Baby.


The presiding Judge, Justice Okuma adjourned the case for an accelerated hearing for seven days, four days in June and three days in July, starting from June 15, for continuation of evidences of more prosecution witnesses and possibly defence witnesses.


Speaking to newsmen shortly after yesterday's proceeding, Okeke expressed satisfaction about the pace of the hearing, adding that if not for the four-month strike embarked upon by judiciary staff union, JUSUN, the case would have been concluded by now possibly the judgement would have been delivered or about to be delivered.


Okeke said he decided to take the risk of prosecuting the kidnap suspects to break the fear that gripped other victims who were afraid to go to court or even to report their cases to the police, for fear of being killed by the gangsters.