Kidnap of Jonathan’s uncle: DSS arrests undergraduate, herbalist, four others

Those nabbed include Magnus Jonah,30;
Raphael Inengesi, 32; Ibeabuchi Inya, 29; Oreva
Arbridi, 29; Tammy Tamarapreye and Felix
Onuoha who is a native doctor from Anambra
State.

Jonah, who is an indigene of Nembe town in
Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State
confessed that he masterminded the kidnap and
provided a take-off grant of N40,000 which was
used for procurement of arms and other
logistics in the operation.
He also confessed that prior to the kidnap of
Inengite, he had maintained steady surveillance
on the victim, adding that his gang had two
teams for the operation.
Our role in the saga
Jonah, who hitherto was a 400-level student of
the University of Jos, Plateau State, however,
stated that the long strike by the Academic Staff
Union of Universities, ASUU, drove him into the
illegal business.
Though Tamarapreye denied his involvement in
the act, he however, admitted that he was the
owner of the black Golf car used for the kidnap
operation.
According to him, he was robed into the
operation when Jonah made an innocent
request of using the car for a burial ceremony.

I was to get 10% of ransom procced
—Herbalist
Felix Onuoha, a 48-year-old native doctor,
residing in Edo State hails from Aguleri in
Anambra State.
He confessed that his role in the operation was
preparation of charms for fortification, success
and protection in the gang’s plan to kidnap a
known rich man who resided in Bayelsa State.
He stated that he played along with the
kidnappers on the offer of 10 per cent made to
him from the anticipated ransom and the need
to save himself and family from any seeming
harm that would have come from refusing to
work with the group.
It will be recalled that Inengite was kidnapped
on February 23, 2014 and held captive at two
different locations in the creeks of Brass and
Okigbene in Bayelsa State. He, however,
regained his freedom after 17 days in the hands
of his captors, following operations by security
agents.
10 other kidnappers
In a similar development, the DSS also paraded
another set of 10 kidnappers who specialised in
terrorizing young women in the Federal Capital
Territory, FCT, Abuja and its environs.
They included Onyemire Asagba, 29, who is the
leader of the gang; his second in command,
Sunday Attah, 30; Zacheus Salami, 30, the
armourer; Sani Mohammed, 23, the operational/
utility driver, and Victor Bassey, 32.
Others were Aragba Ademo, 33; Ojo Gambo, 22;
Haruna Asama, 38; Dikko Iko, 22 and
Mohammed Adamu, 20.
The gang members met their nemesis on June
17, 2014 after successfully kidnapping two
sisters aged 15 and 17 years respectively on
June 8, 2014 at New Life Camp area of Abuja.
The girls had, however, been released from
captivity following a successful operation by men
of DSS who arrested the kidnappers at different
places in Abuja, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi and
Plateau states.
The leader of the gang, a 29-year-old Asagba, a
native of Amukpe in Sapele Local Government
Area of Delta State, is an ex‑convict who was
released from Keffi prisons on March 2013.
He told journalists that his gang received N10
million ransom before releasing the victims.
He also confessed that the operation was
successfully aided by Dikko Iko, a 22-year-old
from Magure village in Darkin Pawa, Niger East
Local Government Area of Niger State who was a
guard at the residence of the two kidnap
victims.
While briefing journalists, Deputy Director, Public
Relations of DSS, Marilyn Ogar, said though
insurgency and terrorism in the country were
utmost priorities of security agencies, the agency
would still not relent in ridding the country of all
other criminal activities, saying that issues of
security cannot be left in the hands of security
agencies alone.