…As Kogi Police arrests 28 suspected criminals, killers of businessman, Ofodile***

The police said they have arrested the General Overseer of New Life Church of God, Shagamu, over the kidnap of Mr Job Jonathan, a Despatch Rider with a logistics company.

The Force Public Relations Officer, (FPRO), Mr Frank MBA, disclosed this at a media briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said the logistics company, which majored in the distribution of Forever Living Products, had detailed Jonathan to deliver the product following an order placed online.

“Jonathan, first of all, rode his motorcycle to Ikorodu, but directed to proceed to Sagamu without knowledge of the fact that he was going to be kidnapped.

“On arrival at the location which turned out to be a church, the product was not only collected, the despatch rider was immediately held on hostage,” he said.

He said the pastor, also the leader of the gang, had built a beautiful underground cabin within the church premises where Jonathan was held throughout his 10 days of captivity.

According to him, when Jonathan began to struggle to escape, the pastor, who clearly is not certified health personnel, forcefully administered anesthesia on Jonathan.

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He said Jonathan became unconscious after the injection but was rescued following complaints to the police by his company.

Mba said the pastor was arrested with three other members of the gang.

He said four suspects that specialised in kidnap operation around the South-Eastern part of the country has also been arrested.

The FPRO said the syndicate, led by a South Africa returnee, 27,  had three other members.

He said the leader of the gang started kidnapping in 2018 and had carried out over 10 kidnap operations successfully.

According to him, four citizens had been murdered by the syndicate with one, personally killed by the leader.

“When the police began a manhunt of the gang leader after an operation in 2019, he temporarily relocated to Togo but returned back to Nigeria early 2020 and continued the same criminal operation.

“This offered the police the opportunity to get the gang leader and his three other members arrested,” he added.

Mba said a syndicate that specialises in car theft had also been arrested with an anti-car tracking device recovered from the suspects.

“This is the second time we are recovering a jammer or anti-tracking device from established car theft syndicates.

“In this particular case where the anti-tracking device was recovered, we discovered that one of the suspects, currently at large, Alhaji Garba, is a citizen of Niger Republic.

“He procured the device for some Nigerians, provided them with the anti-tracking device and commission them to go on car stealing operations.

“After successful operations, the suspects take the cars to border post for onward delivery to Niger Republic through Garba,” he said.

Mba said 18 out of the 30 cars of different makes stolen by the syndicate had been recovered by the police.

The FPRO said that a total of 35 suspects clearly linked to offences of armed robbery, kidnapping, cattle rustling, car theft, unlawful possession of weapons, and other sundry offences were arrested.

He said four Ak47 riffles, 361 rounds of live Ak47 ammunition, and five other weapons of different makes were recovered from the suspects.

In another development, the Commissioner of Police in Kogi, Mr Ede Ayuba,on Wednesday presented to newsmen, 28 suspected criminals, including one of the suspected killers of late Nicholas Ofodile, businessman and owner of Chuks Supermarket, Lokoja.

Ayuba, while displaying the suspects at the command headquarters in Lokoja, said the command had adopted comprehensive crime prevention and control strategies in recent times to combat criminality in the state.

The strategy, according to him, include intensive patrol, raids of identified criminal hideouts, black spots and flashpoints, the conduct of stop-and-search which led to the arrest of the 28 suspects.

The commissioner, who attributed the recent upsurge in crime and criminal activities in the area to deployment lapses, said the command had readjusted its deployment strategies in line with the Inspector-General of Police instruction.

He said that the command had also adopted common problem-solving strategies for effective results on the Community Policing which had inspired public confidence in the Force, as people were now willingly providing valuable information.

He also said that the command had arrested one Vincent Omogor of Asaba,Delta, in connection with the killing of a popular businessman in Lokoja, Nicholas Ofodile, killed by assassins on June 10.

Ayuba said that the arrest was a follow-up on the attack and killing of the business tycoon and other kidnapping incidents along Lokoja-Abuja road, adding that the Intelligence was driven by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operatives in synergy with vigilance group in Orehi.

He said that a suspected car snatcher, Ayuba Dare, a dismissed soldier, allegedly specialised in robbing unsuspecting citizens of their vehicles, was apprehended and three Toyota Corolla cars and an NDA Identity Card recovered from them.

“Our operational style has provided a venue for effective collaboration with other critical stakeholders by giving them access to share information and intelligence that will assist in crime control and management,” he said.

To ensure a hitch-free celebration of the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir, the commissioner said the command had organised a conference with its Area Commanders.

He said that the command had mapped out operational order to ensure that lives and property were secured during and after the Sallah celebration, adding that the suspects would be prosecuted upon completion of investigation.

The alleged offences ranged from armed robbery to kidnapping, cattle rustling, unlawful possession of firearms, possession of human skull, impersonation, culpable homicide and car snatching.