Africa Press-Nigeria:
The Department of State Services in Bayelsa State has arrested a four-member kidnap syndicate for an alleged attempt to abduct the Chairman of Yenagoa Local Government Council Area, Uroupaye Nimizuoa.
The suspects are a 43-year-old prophet, Kingsley Amos, a spiritualist, Tari Erigi, an information communication technology expert, Philip Anayo, and a lady, Nsikan Sunday.
Parading the culprits in Yenagoa on Friday, the DSS Deputy Director of Operations, Femi Shotayo, said they also sent life-threatening text messages to the Yenagoa council boss.
He said the arrests of the four suspects were as a result of the investigation of a petition on the alleged kidnap of Nimizuoa, his mother, and some targeted family members and threat-to-life messages through strange mobile phone numbers.
Shotayo said Amos, Erigi, and Nsikan were nabbed with the assistance of Okorie following his involvement in ‘illegal’ tracking of GSM numbers for commercial purposes.
According to him, Okorie, in connivance with his syndicate, took advantage of his relationship with the victim and fraudulently initiated life-threatening calls, including a threat to kidnap him.
The DSS official further said, “Okorie was eventually arrested by operatives of the service in Abia State. And Amos, who paraded himself as clergy and prophet before the victim, collaborated with his mistress/wife, one Nsikan Umoh Sunday, female, 35 years, and threatened to kidnap the victim.
“Findings further showed that the threat was aimed at compelling their victim to contract them for prayers in exchange for money. They were apprehended in Calabar and both have confessed to the crime.”
“Also arrested was a 37-year-old Tari Erigi who is a spiritualist and ally of the council chairman who sent a threat of kidnap message to the victim in order to extort money from him later.
“Meanwhile, all the suspects have voluntarily confessed to the crime under investigation, just as exhibits linking the suspects with the crime have been recovered.”
