ENUGU COUNCILOR, AND 9 OTHERS NABBED FOR MURDER

Ten suspected persons, including a serving councilor in Enugu State, Mr. Eze, have been arrested by the Anambra State Command of the Department of State Security (DSS) for allegedly being involved in kidnapping and murder.

Though investigation into the activities of the 10-man gang was still on, they were accused of kidnapping and subsequent killing of the immediate past Commissioner of Science and Technology in Anambra State, Mr. Chike Okoli, after collecting the sum of N2 million ransom from his family.
The suspects who were paraded yesterday at the command’s headquarters, Awka, were also accused of collecting ransoms from the families of two other victims and later killed them.
Speaking to newsmen while parading the suspects, the state Director of Security, Mr. Alex Okeiyi, said they were arrested in Awka, Awka South Local Government Area of the state and Ugwuoba in Oji River Local Government, Enugu State, following series of kidnap incidents.
He said, “The gang is also suspected to have kidnapped immediate past state Commissioner for Science and Technology, C.C. Okoli in May 2014. On 23rd June 2014, the command recovered from Anyanor the Sim pack of an Airtel GSM No. used for negotiating the sum of N2 million paid for his release. The suspect confessed he bought and registered the SIM card and four others for negotiating the ransom.”
“The Command suspected that the recent victim they claimed to have killed and buried was that of the Commissioner but Nwafor and Anyanor severally took operatives to the forest where they reportedly buried him and could not locate the grave.” According to the DSS boss, the 38-year-old Councilor, Eze, masterminded the kidnap of one lady identified as Ezeugo in Oji River in April 2014 following which the sum of  N700, 000 was paid as ransom before her release. He accused the councilor of providing his official Hyundai Accent car for the operation and a hideout in Oji River where the female victim was kept for three days.

Okeiyi further said that Anyanor and Nwafor were the arrowheads of the gang that confessed to several kidnaps in Awka and Oji River, including “The kidnap of one Ejiofor from Enugu Ukwu, Njikoka LGA in June 2012, who was later shot dead by a member of the gang and buried near a quarry site, off Ring Road, towards Nibo Community, Awka South LGA. This was after the victim’s family had paid a ranso m of N200, 000.
The same gang was also said to be responsible for “The kidnap of an unidentified woman driving a Toyota Corolla Car at Nkwo Amenyi, Awka in November, 2013, on whom a ransom of N2 million was paid for her release. The woman is said to be a businesswoman from Enugu Ukwu, Njikoka LGA.”
This is in addition to “The kidnap of an unidentified man driving an ash-coloured Toyota Corolla Car in December 2013, around Ikoro House, Umudioka Awka, on whom a ransom of N1.5 million was paid for his release; the kidnap of an unnamed lecturer at UNIZIK Awka in February 2014, along Ring Road Agu Awka, on whom a ransom of N2 million was paid.”
According to Security Chief, “In most of the highlighted kidnap incidents, the use of the acclaimed Oji River local government Councillor’s vehicle was mentioned by Anyanor and Nwafor”.