In the eastern part of the country and in particular Enugu, the average young criminal keeps blaming the Satan or poverty while he believes in the devilish concept that what his friend does to succeed, he too must emulate as long as he makes it; and people continue to wonder the position of elders in the community.
Therefore, despite the renewed effort by the law enforcement agencies to fight criminality in the zone, the criminals whose passion used be armed robbery are reportedly abandoning the crime for the kidnap trade which they believe fetches them more money in a short-while and with less stress.
Presently, several communities in Igbo Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State have cause to be grateful to men of the Nigeria Police Force, Enugu State Command.
This is because the increased spate of terror in kidnapping in the area and fear of who will be the next target of a pandemic that is gradually turning the rural population into self-imprisoned citizens is gradually meeting serious combat from the police.
The development is coming after dedicated operatives of the anti- kidnap squad of the state police command stumbled on the hideout and foiled the operation of a kidnapping syndicate which also lives among them like a thorn in the flesh.
According to a security source, a native doctor remains the godfather, monitoring the dastard act within the communities and beyond until the cat was let out of the bag recently.
Presently, nine suspected gang members, including the native doctor and the gang leader, are reportedly cooling their legs with the state police command, explaining their roles in many kidnap operations in the zone.
According to the command’s public relations office, Ebere Amaraizu, the suspects have confessed to their crimes, having been caught in a raid of their hideout. Moreover, the police are intensifying efforts to get at others who escaped from the hands of the law while the raid lasted.
As investigations progress, Paschal Onah alias Achisa, the gang leader, Martin Okpe, their native doctor, Uche Ugwu, Chinwendu Adonu, Chikodi Idoko, Mamman Okechukwu, Ofobuike Okpe, Christian Onah and Friday Eze are assisting the law to unravel the crime-wave there.
Friday Magazine investigations revealed that the gang leader, Paschal Onah has been the brain behind every hatched job and kidnap operations of the gang. He is one undertaker who has converted his home to a meeting point where every action of the gang is planned and a soft landing for the members. Also, his house served as their victims’ detention camp most of the time.
At many instances where a particular victim proves difficult for the gang to handle or ransom is not paid within a given time-frame by relations of the victim, he or she is killed and buried within the premises of the gang’s leader.
A particular case was that of late Madam Adisa Ogbo, wife of a traditional ruler in one of the communities in Igbo Eze North. The suspects had reportedly demanded the sum of N10 million from her husband after her abduction. When no handsome ransom came forth, they killed the woman and buried her in a shallow grave within the gang leader’s compound. Unfortunately, when her husband raised N300, 000 and deposited same as instructed since last September, his wife had yet to return home, not knowing that she was already a dead person, until the burble bust when the criminals’ hideout was raided by the police.
Upon arrest, gang leader Onah had reportedly led the police investigators to her shallow grave. During his confession, the gang’s native doctor, Martin Okpe, who allegedly prepared anti-arrest charms for the criminals before they embark on any operation, also sang before the police his role in the game of death.
Witnesses said the native doctor had charged and obtained between N30, 000 and N50, 000 per operation and ram gifts after a successful operation.
In his confession to crack detectives, Uche Ugwu said it was greed that lured him into accepting to join the gang when the gang leader contacted him, stating that he was a dealer in second hand clothes at Abuja before he accepted to return home and join in the kidnapping business, because it is a faster lane to riches than armed robbery.
According to him, the membership would collect their cut-to-size double barrel gun, a revolver pistol and a locally made pistol from their gang leader before embarking on any operation and also snatch any vehicle for their operation.
As for Chinwendu Adonu who also confessed to the crime, he used to sell second hand clothes in Benue State before he was lured into the dirty business.
However, he confessed that he wanted to quit before now, but their gang leader, Paschal Onah, threatened he would kill him if he dared, hence he changed his mind for fear of death.
Confirming the arrests, Mr Amaraizu said the suspects were caught in their plot to kidnap an 84-year-old woman, after which they would demand a ransom from her sons.