Police operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have arrested five suspected kidnappers and armed robbers who they said have been making life hellish for the people of the state.
The suspects are accused of kidnapping more than ten victims, raping female victims, seizing their underwear and raking in millions of naira from their families.
The men of the command also rescued seven victims and recovered some sophisticated weapons like AK-47 rifles, pump action as well as 50 rounds of ammunitions from the kidnappers’ hideout in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.
The Akwa Ibom Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olatoye Durosinmi dwelled extensively that the police operatives in the command have raided all the nooks and crannies of the hideouts of the kidnappers and armed robbers who have for long been kidnapping victims, raping female victims and demanding female underwear.
He said on June 20, 2022, when the police operatives swung into action and had an encounter with the kidnappers it resulted in a gun duel.
He said the police arrested five suspected kidnappers and armed robbers who were terrorising the parts of the state and recovered some sophisticated weapons from them in Uyo.
He said some of the suspects had confessed to how they carried out their operations while the other gang members escaped with bullet wounds and abandoned five victims who were rescued from the hideout by the police.
Mr Durosinmi, the police commissioner, said that the police operatives had the same encounter with some of the syndicate along the Uyo-Calabar Expressway. He said the gang had robbed victims who were travelling in a car and collected all their valuable items. He said after abducting and robbing them, the suspects raped some of the female victims and also collected their pants, which he said some of the suspects took away.
He said through information, the police on patrol and the vigilante group had an encounter with the suspects and chased them to the forest, noting that one was shot while others escaped with bullet wounds.
“Also on June 1, 2022, members of a syndicate who had been involved in several armed robberies and kidnappings were about to collect the pants of female victims when they were intercepted by the police operatives and the local hunters and two suspects were shot dead during the encounter. The suspects abandoned their charms, cutlasses and Ak-47 rifles and 10 locally made pistols and fled. That was within the Uyo axis.
“Earlier, on April 20, 2022, a gang of armed robbers robbed victims in their vehicles and collected their valuable items and demanded the pants of the female victims after raping them. They abandoned them and left them naked. The victims raised the alarm which prompted the local hunters to inform the police operatives who swung into action and rescued the victims. They searched the bush and recovered one pump action gun and charms which they kept for the operation,” he said..
CP Durosinmi added that on May 24, 2022, a gang attacked some victims who were coming from an occasion at Ikot – Ekpene.
He said the police on patrol intercepted and gave members of the gang a hot chase and they abandoned their arms and ammunitions and escaped from the scene.
“Meanwhile, on June 1, 2022, a gang of armed robbers and kidnappers attacked passengers along Uyo Expressway when they kidnapped some victims and took them to the forest. It was in the process that one of the victims who escaped from the scene went and alerted the villagers which prompted the vigilantes, the local hunters and police operatives to storm the scene. They went after the kidnappers and engaged them. Some of the hoodlums were shot dead while others escaped with bullet wounds and one AK-47 rifle was recovered. The suspect confessed to having been involved in several kidnappings. They said they had killed two policemen in 2021 along the expressway.
“On February 3, 2022, the same gang of armed robbers robbed five victims who are civil servants in the night on their way home in the Uyo axis. The case was reported to the police station and immediately the police operatives through intelligence gathering raided their hideout and arrested one of the suspects who was using one of the victims’ phone and wearing his wristwatch. The police recovered one dane gun and charms and the suspect confessed that they are five members of the syndicate who are terrorising victims and collecting their valuables and demanding for the pants of female victims for money rituals.
“Also on March 7, 2022, the same gang members who kidnapped two victims and took them to their hideout in the bush demanded a N2million ransom but the relatives immediately paid N500, 000. And when the victim was not released, the case was reported to the police tactical operatives which swung into action and had a gun duel with the kidnappers.
“The victims were blindfolded and they were rescued while two of the suspects escaped with bullet wounds. The police recovered some female victims’ pants, ladies’ clothes, two pump action, AK-47 rifles, and ten rounds of cartridges in their uncompleted building in their hideout,” he explained.
One of the suspects, Emmanuel Bassey explained his involvement to Saturday Sun. Said he: “I am from Cross River State. We are a ten-member gang of armed robbers and kidnappers. We have robbed and raped victims in Calabar, the capital of Cross River State. The police operatives in Calabar were too hot for us. They killed some of our gang members and we went and re-grouped and bought some arms and ammunitions and we relocated to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State. We robbed and raped female victims and collected their pants for our money rituals. We robbed along Calabar/Uyo Expressway where the road is bad and we took advantage of it. We also robbed and kidnapped them inside the bush and we demanded millions of naira as ransom. The victims were always in our custody for between four and five days.
“We do not kill our victims. We only rape the women and collect their pants and ATM card to withdraw from POS. The police operatives arrested us on June 27, 2022 in Uyo and we have confessed to them.”
Another suspect, Umeh Antia, who is also from Cross River State, told the reporter: “I reside in Ogoja axis of the state. I am a member of the Greenland cult. I was the one who always kept the arms and ammunitions for my syndicate. Once we kidnap, collect some ransom, we share it among ourselves. I only collected N100,000 while I took the female victims’ pants for money rituals. We were still waiting for the outcome from our herbalist when the police operatives arrested us. We have confessed to the police.”
One of the victims, John Adams explained his ordeal in the hands of the satanic syndicate. “I am from Akwa Ibom. I am a trader. It was in 2021 when I was coming back from Onitsha that we were attacked in our vehicle. We were asked to lie down. Later, they marched us to the forest and they started beating us and collected all our money and raped some ladies, collected their clothes and demanded for their pants. They collected the pants of some ladies. They abandoned us until some women going to the farm came to our rescue and called the vigilante and local hunters. The hoodlums had escaped. It was a terrible incident that happened to us and we did not believe it.
“We went and reported the case to the nearest police station. They went and searched where the ugly incident happened. The policemen reported that they only saw abandoned shoes, clothes, bags and some ATM cards that fell from them. We were happy that some of the hoodlums were shot and arrested by the police. We want justice to be done in this case. We have been terrorised and victimized by these hoodlums on the highway,” for too long,” he said.
Another lady victim said: “I hail from Cross River State. I travelled to Uyo and we were moving towards Ikot-Ekpene along the Expressway when the hoodlums attacked us in our car, a Toyota Camry. They told us to lie down. They demanded our ATM cards and used a cutlass to beat the men and the driver. I was raped and they collected my ATM card. They asked for my pants and I handed two of my pants to them. They spent just 50 minutes with us. They abandoned us and we tried to trek out of the bush before we saw a good Samaritan who conveyed us. I went to the hospital to take care of myself and I went to the church and prayed that any of the hoodlums that want to do anything with my pants will never succeed spiritually.
“It is only God who can deliver us from this wicked world. We want the police to go after the hoodlums for collecting our pants for money rituals,” she said.
The Commissioner of Police, Mr Durosinmi said that the command would go after the rest of the robbers and kidnappers.
“We have warned them to relocate from the state. We are totally ready for them. The suspects arrested will soon be charged to court,” he assured.
