By NGOZI UWUJARE

Eighteen-year-old Lucky Orji, has proved to be a latter day Judas Iscariot, by betraying the trust reposed in him by the parents of 3-year-old Favour Idechukwu, who had previously taught in the nursery section of Peculiar Height International Academy, Onne, Rivers State.

Orji abducted the infant from the school on July 14, 2017 and handed her over to an accomplice, who then took the frightened and wailing little girl to a hideout. With Favour in their custody, Orji activated Stage Two of his evil agenda by demanding N500,000 ransom from the distraught parents.

In a typical case of chasing with the hounds and running with the hare, as goes a popular English saying, Orji, who attends the same church with the parents of the child, accompanied them to the police station to report that their daughter was missing. He also joined in the search for her. But Providence frowned at his duplicity and the parents became suspicious of him. They expressed their misgivings to the police, as Sunday Sun learnt from the Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Police Command, Mr. Ahmed Zaki, who directed the commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Supol Edward Shedrack, to take up the case.

When Orji was diligently grilled as the account of his movements began to wobble like the wheel of a car with loose nuts, he cracked after detectives showed him their red eyes. No longer able to withstand the intensity of their scary glare, Orji spilled the beans.

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At the headquarters of the police command, where he spoke with Sunday Sun, Orji recounted how he executed the abduction: “I was once a teacher and computer operator at Peculiar Height International Academy. I taught Favour Idechukwu in the nursery section. Later I left the school. When life became difficult, I went to the school and arranged with one of the teacher who brought out the little girl. I promised to give her a share of the ransom to be paid by her parents.

“I handed Favour over to one of my accomplices, Innocent Chigozie, to take her to our hideout, so that we can demand a ransom of N500,000 naira. I know the family of the girl; we attend the same church (name withheld) in Onne. I assisted the parents and the school to look for her. But somehow they began to suspect me and reported me to the police. They police questioned and I confessed. I called Chigozie to bring back the girl to the police station, and we were arrested immediately.”

Giving his own account, Chigozie, who hails from Anambra State said that it was Orji, his friend who suggested that they kidnap the little girl. He added that the incident was the second time they had attempted to carry out an abduction.

He said further: “The first time we tried to kidnap a victim, we did not succeed. The A member of the victim’s family became suspicious and hit us with us with his car. We had to escape from the scene.”

The police commissioner said that Favour had been restored to her parents and assured that the suspects would be prosecuted.