An end has come to the dastard activities of a rampaging family gang which specialises in robbery and kidnapping in Anambra as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS) of the State Police Command has arrested a couple behind the ring.
While 29-year-old Ndubuisi Okeke leads the gang in its operations, his 22 year old wife, Ozioma prepares food for kidnap victims brought in by her husband and ensures that they are in good condition pending when ransom is paid for their release.
The evil circle however got into trouble recently, precisely on July 18 at Onitsha where Okeke and his gang ambushed a commercial vehicle; robbed all the passengers and in the process killed a woman, her three children and another passenger before bolting away with one Kodichukwu Chukwu who was asked to pay N20 million ransom to secure his release from their den.
Blindfolded with both hands and legs chained in a room, Chukwu, Saturday Sun gathered, was said to have pleaded with his captors to collect the N370,000 he had on him but they refused and resorted to calling his father to raise the N20 million.
The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ballah Nasarawa told Saturday Sun that when the police received the information he called the commander of the SARS, James Nwafor (CSP) to raise a team that will invade the kidnappers hideout. The police boss added that the victim, Kodichukwu Chukwu was rescued while members of the gang escaped with bullet wounds.
Nasarawa also explained that with the help of the vigilance group and policemen from Ajali Police Station, the SARS detectives were able to storm another kidnappers den where they rescued other victims.
The CP added that after Chukwu’s rescue, he was able to lead the SARS detectives to identify the wife of the suspect who always cook food for him while in their custody.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers, Chukwu said that after they were attacked, they were ordered to lie face down on the road while they killed one of the passengers. “They also killed three children and a woman but the gang later quarrelled”, he said.
According to him: “I was blindfolded and taken into a room where they chained my hands and legs and they were demanding N20m.
“They first collected my N370,000 and later they wanted me to pay another N5m by all means possible. They called my father and told him to bring the money . They threatened that if he refused my father should be preparing my grave. The kidnappers insisted on killing more policemen when they have any encounter with them”
Chukwu further stated that “ It was through the effort of SARS , vigilante and the men of the Ajali Police Station who came to strike that rescued me. I spent some weeks in the custody of the kidnappers before I was rescued.
“It was when the policemen led me back to the scene of the kidnap that I was able to identify the wife of the kidnappers’ kingpin. She was the one who used to prepare the food for me. She used to prepare rice and beans and would serve me.”
The Commander of SARS, James Nwafor (CSP) added that “when the policemen had rescued the victim and we took him back to the scene he was able to identify the wife of the kidnapper whose husband is still under interrogation. He actually exchanged bullets with the police. The wife is among those who cook for him and we have arrested the wife an d she is in our custody.”
In her confession, the suspect, Ozioma Okeke, told Saturday Sun that ,” I got married to my husband in 2010 and I have two children for him . I was the one who was cooking for the victim where he was kept. I know my husband is a kidnapper “.
CP Ballah added that the suspects are still under investigation and that they will soon be charged to court.
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