My abductors asked for N100m, I offered N1bn – GUO Motors boss

The Chairman of G. U. O. Motors Limited,
Chief Godwin Okeke, yesterday, commenced his evidence-
in-chief at an Onitsha High Court in Anambra State,
presided over by Justice Chudi Nwankwo, in respect of his
abduction by kidnappers in Onitsha on Sunday, August 23,
2009.
Okeke who spoke under oath, shortly after the court granted
a motion to file and serve additional prove of evidence with
respect to one of the suspected kidnappers, Alexander
Onyinanya, filed by the prosecution counsel, Chris Ajugwe
with Mrs. N. D. Wilcox.
Godwin Okeke
He narrated his encounter with the kidnappers at the All
Saints Anglican Church Cathedral, Onitsha when he went
for a Sunday worship with his wife, driver and some family
members.
However, counsel to the first and third accused persons, O.
U. Uduma and J. N. Okongwu, did not object to the
prosecution counsel's motion to file and serve additional
prove of evidence with respect to the third accused,
Onyinanya.
How he was abducted
Led in the evidence by his counsel, Okeke stated that he
went for 7 a.m. service which ended at about 10 a.m,
adding that between 10.30 and 11 a.m., his wife mounted
the steering of his Nissan Amanda Spots Utility Van, SUV,
and was driving towards the church gate when suddenly,
gunmen blocked the car with a bus in front and a Mercedes
Benz car at the rear.
Okeke told the court that before he could ask questions, the
gunmen started shooting sporadically, adding that even
though he managed to disarm one or two of them, they
shattered his left leg, over-powered him, drove away his
wife and family members before bundling him into his
SUV and zoomed off with the abductors' vehicles
following.
He further told the court that they passed through Awka
Road and at Limca Road, they met a traffic gridlock but his
abductors shot sporadically into the air to scare the
commuters before they continued their movement up to
Nkpor junction where he said they met some policemen and
exchanged fire with them.
Two vehicles snatched
He said: "At Umuoji Road, my abductors discovered that
their tyres were deflated during the exchange of fire with
the policemen and they quickly jumped out of the vehicles,
blocked the road, snatched two other vehicles from their
unsuspecting owners and transferred their arms and
ammunition, including 9 AK 47 riffles, rocket launchers,
machine guns and a big Ghana-must-go bag filled with
loaded magazines and live cartridges into the snatched
vehicles.
"They continued their journey and drove through Alor,
Adazi-Ani and Adazi-Enu. On getting to somewhere
between Adazi-Enu and Neni communities in Anaocha
Local Government Area of the state, they drove into a
bungalow, rounded up the occupants, who were mainly
children, locked them up in one of the rooms and kept me
inside the living room.
"I removed my shirt and tied my bleeding leg as part of
measures to control the blood gushing out from the bullet
wound. At a stage, I became thirsty and requested them to
give me water to drink. Two of the abductors, Emeka Eze
and Anthony Ifeanyi Okafor were with me while others
were outside monitoring movements."
He said the duo with him advised him not to drink water
because of his bullet wound but he insisted on drinking and
eventually they gave him the water which he drank.
He said: "I overheard those outside asking the detained
children where they kept oil, salt and other condiments
because at that point, they had started cooking breadfruit
meal for lunch.
The third accused was my ex-employee
He said after cooking, they presented the food and he ate
with them. He said among those outside, two of them, a tall
and short one wore masks, adding that he could discover
that the tall one, Alexander Onyinanya, the third accused
with mask was his former employee
"I could identify Onyinanya because he limps as a result of
an accident he had when he was working for me. I was the
one who paid his hospital bill when he had the accident.
I offered them N1bn, instead of N100m
"After eating the breadfruit meal, they praised me for my
courage and for accepting their food, unlike other victims
who usually refuse to eat during their captivity."
He said they now asked him to get ready for negotiation to
which he paid attention.
"They told me that Chief Paul Okonkwor, Managing
Director of Pokobros Group West Africa Limited paid them
N70 million as ransom when they kidnapped him, while
Chief Anthony Enukeme, Managing Director of Tonimas
Oil Limited paid them N80 million during his own time and
told me to pay them N100 million.
"I replied them promptly that Okonkwor and Enukeme are
millionaires, while I am a billionaire, and offered them N1
billion, instead of N100 million.
"The offer gave them special joy as they now dropped their
weapons by the side, relaxed and asked me how and when
the money would get to them to which I told them that the
money was in the bank."
At this stage, Justice Nwankwo ordered him to stop for the
day till the next adjourned date.
The court now adjourned the matter to November 14, 26,
27, 28, December 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9, this year for accelerated
hearing and possible dispensation.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/11/my-abductors-asked-
for-n100m-i-offered-n1bn-guo-motors-boss/