How Vigilante Group Kidnapped Enugu Security Adviser

Tension is high in Nimbo community, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State following the non-release of Mr. Ejiofor Enechi, the Security adviser to the council chairman, Hon. Cornnel Onwubuya, two months after he was kidnapped.

Our correspondent reports that hope of the victim’s family dimmed further following the arrest of two of the suspected kidnappers, who in their confessional statements, said they left the victim, Ejiofor, in the custody of their fleeing gang members two months ago.

Nimbo is the same community, which came under heavy attack from Fulani herdsmen, last year, an incident, which left scores dead.

A relation of the victim, who spoke on the development expressed sadness and grief, even as he pleaded with the kidnappers to free his brother unhurt.

“I don’t want to believe that Ejiofor is dead; he has been missing for the past two months; he was kidnapped on his way home and the kidnappers collected N2m ransom.

“But, as I speak to you, he is nowhere to be found; this has convinced us that it was not ordinary kidnap.

“We got more shocker when the two suspects arrested by the police said they carried out the dastardly act in connivance with some members of the Nimbo vigilante group.

“We learnt that the kidnap was planned and executed by members of this very community because they felt Ejiofor was frustrating some of their criminal acts.

“We are begging them to please release him; even if they have killed him, let them make his corpse available so that we can give his a decent burial.

“Let the police do their work too because the kidnappers are not strangers. An attempt has been made for once to arrest them but they fled since then. We cannot sleep for two months now as a result of this uncertainty”, he lamented.

Also speaking when contacted, the traditional ruler of the community, Igwe John Akor , stated that the community was in heavy grief over the incident.

“I feel so sad and disappointed; we are not happy at all; he is our son and we don’t like what happened to him at all”, he said.

When asked the effort he was making considering that the kidnappers were said to be members of his vigilante group, the monarch said: “the police is doing its work; it is not for us to arrest those people; we can’t use bare hands to effect arrest.

“The police has before now arrested two of the suspects and I believe they are making effort to arrest the fleeing key suspects.

“We have been praying everyday that he regains his freedom; we are still very hopeful; we can’t give up.”

Members of the vigilante being fingered in the kidnap include: Simon Okweli, aka, Miri, Godwin Ezea, aka, Raty, among others.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Enugu State Police Command, SP Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the arrest of two suspects gave their names as Asogwa Thankgod and Akakwu Chizoba Collins.

Amaraizu disclosed that the victim was abducted on 13th December, 2016 at about 9am, at Ugwuiyi Ekoro, along Opanda /Adani road of Uzouwani Local Government Area on his way to Nimbo to carry out his assignment.

“The kidnappers made a ransom demand of 10 million Naira, which they later reduced to 2million Naira.

“Police operatives of Enugu state command stood tall in this regard and arrested two suspects who played major role in the dastardly act, while investigations and manhunt are still intensified on the fleeing suspects”, he said.

Amaraizu further disclosed that the suspects made revelations “on how they worked in synergy with group of ODAH Nimbo outlawed/self constituted vigilante group to unleash mayhem and to kidnap Ejiofo Enechi.”

One of the suspects, Asogwa Thankgod, claimed to be a movie star from Umuokpala Ehalumona, Nsukka Local Government Area of the state, but based at Opanda in Uzouwani Local Government Area of Enugu state.

He confessed that he carried out the kidnap with the vigilante group, adding that he kept the incident secret as other members of the gang threatened to kill his father, who is a headmaster at Nimbo.

As of the time of filling this report, it is still uncertain whether the victim was still alive.

Source: Dailypost