Suspected kidnapper paraded on Wheelchair, Chinaza Philip has finally confessed to being a Car thief and not a kidnapper.
The 28-year-old suspect from Enugu State who was arrested in Kaduna after operating in FCT said his gang is fully into stealing of Cars and not kidnapping.
According to the suspect who was staggering in excruciatingpain as a result of gunshot on one.of his legs, “anything I am telling you is the truth and nothing but the truth. I know some people will say I am lying. Between God and man, I am not a kidnapper. I want the whole world to know that I am not a kidnapper.
“I and my friends were on patrol, looking out for Cars to steal. We collect Cars from park. We saw one Hilux in a compound and we turned back. We entered and asked the owner for the key, which he gave us.
“The aim and plan was not to carry the man, but I don’t know why my friend Yellow said we should carry him. We took the man on the back seat with me. I never knew that the intention of Yellow is to collect money from him. He asked the man how much he has in his account and he said N5million. I did not have power to stop Yellow, it was one of us who was pointing gun at the man.
“It was Yellow that brought the guns. I don’t know Yellow very well, it was my friend Chidiebere who introduced me to Yellow. I did not know it was kidnapping we were in for, I thought it was our normal Car stealing.”
FCT Police boss, CP Garuba Haruna, who addressed newsmen noted it was apt to give an update on the steps the Command has taken to safeguard the lives and properties of the residents of FCT.
According to him, “The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun had on January 17, 2024 launched Special Intervention Squad (SIS) at Force Headquarters, Abuja to curb the menace of kidnapping and armed banditry and other sundry crimes in the Federal Capital Territory.
“The launch of this special squad has yielded positive results as all the identified bandit’s routes especially in Bwari Area Council has been blocked by the Police thereby denying them access into the FCT via Niger, Kaduna and Nasarawa States.
“Since then, no case of kidnapping has been recorded in that axis.
In addition, many kidnapping and armed robbery suspects have been arrested and victims rescued.
“In the same vein, several arms and live ammunitions and vehicles taken away from victims have been recovered.
The following is the synopsis of some of the successes recorded.
“On January 17, 2024 at around 7.pm, the complainant/victim, Segun Akinyemi of No 10 Birnin Kebbi street, Garki 2 Abuja, was abducted in front of his house while driving out with his gray colored Hilux Van with Reg. No. RBC 90 DL by four armed men who laid siege in a white Mercedez Benz 230 car. “The FCT police command via the control room alerted the patrol teams and men on the entry/exit points for rescue of the victim and arrest of the suspects. The CP FCT placed a call to his counterparts in the contiguous states especially Kaduna.
“This contact paid off as police operatives in Kaduna intercepted the armed hoodlums at a filling station in Kawo, Kaduna State. There was an exchange of fire between the police operatives and the kidnappers. That while three of them escaped, one of the suspect later identified as Chinaza Philip Okoye was arrested.
“Three English pistols with 15 rounds of live ammunition and the said Hilux Van were recovered from him. The victim who was in the vehicle was rescued unhurt. “Preliminary investigation revealed that two out of four armed men are Abuja-based; Chinaza Philip Okoye Michael and one Chidibere. It was also discovered that Chinaza Philip Okoye Michael and his accomplices had earlier been arrested, sometimes in November 2023, for armed robbery, and a snatched Honda car was recovered from them.
“He and his accomplices were arraigned before a High Court Judge in Kwali, Abuja, but were granted court bail, only for the suspects to get involved in this particular kidnapping case.”
Relatedly, the CP said on January 18, 2024 at around 10.45pm, the DPO Iddo division received a distress call that some armed bandits in a black colored Toyota Corolla fired the tyres of a moving Prado Jeep of one male adult later identified as Suleiman Sabo, on his way home in Sabon Lugbe, thereby forcing him to stop.
“He was whisked away in the kidnappers’ vehicle to an unknown location, leaving behind his Prado Jeep and his wife.
“The police operatives from Iddo Division and the Anti-Kidnapping unit of the Command made a concerted effort to have the victim rescued and suspects arrested.
“The effort paid off on January 21, 2024 when the DPO received information that something abnormal is happening in a particular house at Sauka village. The DPO moved in and cordoned the house, behold the kidnapped victim was found with one Mohammed Abel armed with Mark IV riffle and ten rounds of live ammunition. “He was promptly arrested and the arm recovered from him. The victim was rescued but with gunshot injuries. He is currently on admission at NAF hospital, Airport road, Abuja receiving treatment and in a stable condition.”