I keep abducted victims in church, share ransom with my pastor-Anambra kidnap kingpin

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested
38-year-old wanted kidnap suspect, Okafor,a
graduate of Mathematics from the Nnamdi
Azikiwe University,Awka.Okafor popularly known
as Igwe did not only fall afoul of the law as a
kidnapper, he also messed up the temple of God
by keeping his victims in a church and sharing his
loot with the pastor.
Once on a mission to collect N5 million ransom
from the family of victim in Asaba, Delta State, he
was rounded up by crack policemen and locked
up in a cell.
Okafor, however, escaped through the window of
the cell to continue his evil trade until the
hardworking members of the State Anti-Robbery
Squad (SARS) in Anambra ended his reign of
terror.
The kidnap kingpin spoke with Sunday Sun: "I
graduated from Unizik in 2006 and Istudied
Mathematics. I did my NYSC inAbuja and I served
in NNPC at Berger. After graduation I was going to
Ghana to buy clothes to sell in Lagos State.
"I am now involved totally in kidnapping where I
make quick money. When I kidnapped I used to
take my victims to my church in Awkuzu where the
General Overseer, Pastor Nwaezeagu always
collects the victims from us and at the end, we
would give him his own share. We decided to join
the church so that the members would not
suspect us that we were keeping some victimswe
kidnapped inside the church."
"I was the one who was involved in the
kidnapping of the traditional prime minister in
Enugu-Ukwu and we collected N50 million from
the victim before we released him and I gave
Pastor Nwaezeagu his 20 per cent share on that
day.
"I kidnapped another woman in Awka and
collected N30 million from the family of victim
and kept her in the church and, after the family
paid the ransom, I released the suspect and I
gave Pastor Nwaezeagu the sum of N200,000."
Okafor who hails from Anambra West Local
Government Area continued: "Myself and my gang
kidnapped one victim, Chief John Uchachuwu at
Asaba and we demanded the sum of N5 million.
The family of the victim called me to come and
take the money at Asaba. When I got to Asaba I
collected the N5 million but the policemen from
the anti-kidnap arrested me and they took me to
Delta State and put me inside their cell."
He said that he escaped through the toilet of the
cell and quickly moved to Anambra State to
continue his kidnapping job.
"I was arrested in Onitsha market by the men of
SARS and I have confessed to them about my
involvement in kidnapping," he said.
Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Ballah
Nasarawa told Sunday Sun that the suspect had
been declared wanted by Anambra State Police
Command before he was eventually arrested on
September 2, 2013 in Onitsha.
The police commissioner said Okafor was the
same suspect that the Delta State Police
Command declared wanted after he escaping
from the cell through the toilet in 2013.
He stated that the suspect had kept several
victims he kidnapped in the churchin which he
was a member and which he used as a hideout.
CP Nasarawa added that, besides the kidnap
instances that Okafor gave, the suspect was
alsobehind the abduction of the Chairman of
Association of Electronics Dealers in Nnewi and
collected N30 million that he shared among his
gang members and released the victim from the
church in which he was kept.
Also commenting about Okafor, Delta State
Commissioner of Police, IkechukwuAduba told
Sunday Sun that the notorious kidnapper had
with his gang kidnapped one Chief
JohnUchachuwu in Asaba and they demanded N5
million as ransom and the police played along as
they negotiated ransom payment. He was told to
come and collect the money in Asaba. It was in
the process of collecting the ransom that he was
arrested.
"Also we had to rescue the victim, Chief
Uchachuwu while the suspect, Okafor came to
Asaba to collect the ransom of N5million. What
shocked me was that the notorious kidnapper,
Okafor escaped from the cell in our
custodydespite the fact that he has injury on his
legs. The policemen involved were one ASP, one
Inspector and one Corporal. I had todetain them
in my custody.
"I have written to my AIG in charge of Zone 5,
Benin who appreciated thataction had been
taken. They will definitely face the music. How can
a notorious kidnapper escape from their
custody?" he queried.
CP Aduba added that later the information got to
him that the SARS in Anambra had re-arrested the
kidnapper and I sent my officers to Anambra State
Police Command and they saw him.
"There was a time we traced Okaforto Niger
Republic and Ghana and he escaped. We couldn't
take over the case from Anambra State Police
Command because he dida lot more of
kidnapping in Anambra State than Delta State and
he has more questions to answer in Anambra
State Police Command and they should
continuetheir investigation," he stated.
The Anambra police boss assured that the
suspect would soon be charged to court after
investigation had been concluded.