Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested two suspected kidnappers, a 31-year-old Joel Emazorand, and Philip Roberts, 30, over alleged kidnapping of one Albert Igbinomwanhia in Benin City.
Nigerian Tribune reporter gathered that the suspects, in collaboration with one Ossai and Eguavon who are at large, kidnapped the victim and held him in their hideout for five days and collected N5.1 million ransom before releasing him.
The Command’s spokesperson, Chidi Nwabuzor, while parading the suspects, said they were arrested on March 30 by the command’s intelligence rapid response squad while acting on credible intelligence.
He said “On March 6, the suspect and two others one Ossai and Eguavon whose surname not known kidnapped one Albert Igbinomwanhia from Igbinedion Avenue, G.R.A., Benin City to Agbor Road Bye-Pass axis near Okhuahe River in a Lexus Jeep RX 330 with registration number RBC 18 DC and held him hostage inside a borrowed pit for five days.”
“Subsequently the kidnappers demanded N14 million ransom from his family members and the victim was released to his family after collecting the sum of five million, one hundred thousand naira”
He said after collecting the money, the suspects continued to call the victim and his parents that the N14 million must be completed or they will still kidnap the victim, which made the parent to petition the Commissioner of Police.
The suspects were arrested from their hideout and they have made statements and confessed to the crime. Efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects who are at large, Chidi assured that the command is battle ready to track down all criminal elements in the state in collaboration with other sister agencies.
In an interview with journalists, Joel said he has a business deal with Albert but when he asked him about his money, Albert told him the people Involved in the business have not given him his money.
“So, I took him to the police station and when the issue was not going well, we left there and took Albert along to the borrow pit and when it was night, we left for our hotel room and held him for five days and collected N5.1 million ransom from his parent before we were arrested.“
“I have learnt my lesson because I didn’t really know that holding him for days is an offence, it was when we got to the station that they read the law to me and I know it was an offence” he said.
