By Chioma Okezie-Okeh
Sometime in January 2021, a landlord in Aba, Abia State simply identified as Emeka, rented a room to 23-year-old Gabriel Ogbonna who presented himself as a hardworking truck driver.
Little did he know that Gabriel Ogbonna is a member of a nine-man gang terrorising Aba and its environs.
The landlord was kidnapped twice and ransom paid to some hitherto unknown kidnappers. But in February this year, the police was able to solve the mystery behind his abductions.
Operatives of the Force Intelligence Response Team (FIRT) were able to arrest Ogbonna and seven others who allegedly participated in the landlord’s kidnap. The other suspects were identified as Jachike Ahamefuna, Okezie Loveday, Chukwuebuka Ibeawuchi, Uzochi Onyema, Agwamba Chinemelum, Ndubuisi Nwafor and Kelechi Onuegbu
They were declared wanted after one Peter Onwubuariri reported to the police that he was kidnapped on January 8, 2022 along Gas Line by Uratha Express Road in Aba, Abia State. His abductors reportedly took him to an unknown destination in his Toyota Highlander SUV. The kidnappers allegedly collected the sum of N10 million from his family before he was freed.
The FIRT operatives who were assigned to investigate the matter were able to track down the leader of the gang known as Jachike and seven others, including Gabriel. It was in the course of interrogation that Gabriel confessed that he was the one responsible for the kidnap of his landlord. He had arranged the operation in February 2021 barely one month after he secured the accommodation.
Three guns and a cutlass were recovered from the suspects. The police said efforts are currently on to trace the buyers of the stolen cars.
Confirming their arrest, the acting Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, a Chief Superintendent of Police told Saturday Sun that the suspects would soon be charged to court.
Combining welding job with kidnapping
A native of Abia State, Jachike Ahamefuna, who introduced himself as the leader of the gang claimed that he decided to recruit the others after most of his other gang members were either killed or arrested by the police.
His words: “I am 31 and married with two kids. I dropped out of secondary school and hanged around home till I became a man. My mother encouraged me to go and learn a handiwork and I chose to become a welder. You meet all kinds of customers, especially those who steal something and need a welder to break and repair. This was how I met some bad boys and they taught me the act of robbery and kidnapping. Early last year, most of them were arrested while some died in action. I was lucky that no one caught me. So I was able to relocate to our village till I was sure that the police were no longer looking for me. Life in the village is hard so I decided to make use of my past experience. I returned to Aba town. This was how I started calling one or two persons that I knew in the past,” he stated.
He claimed to have lost count of the number of persons that his new gang abducted but could vividly remember seven cases.
He said: “We have lost count and because we are many, the highest amount that I got as my share was N600,000. We have only three guns and if the victim will give us so much stress, we will hire an AK47 from those that rent it. Most of our victims were picked around Aba and along Owerri-Port Harcourt Expressway. We sell their vehicles for as low as N250, 000. The last one we sold was a Lexus Jeep and the receiver bought it from us at the price of N200, 000. We sell it for as low as that because they claim that the police might recover the car in future,” he further stated.
On why they rape their female victims, Jachike said that he permits the crime in order to keep his boys happy. “These women are beautiful and we cannot afford to befriend them under normal circumstances. So, the boys are always excited and loyal if you allow them to touch the women we abduct,” he noted with a dry smile.
Also among the gang is a dismissed soldier, Loveday Amanze, who is married with three kids. He claimed that he was dismissed because he left his duty post without permission.
Hear him: “I was part of the 153 Battalion in Maiduguri and when I finally got a pass for a few days, I overstayed. I deliberately refused to go back because I was not ready to be killed by those terrorists. Back home, I needed to survive, so when Jachike learnt that I was a soldier, he convinced me to join his gang since I already knew how to handle guns. I also helped him to train the others. I was out of cash and this was easy money for me. To make us happy, he was the one that allowed us to sleep with the women, especially if you were the one guarding them for the night,” he alleged.
Why I kidnapped my landlord
On why he decided to ruin the life of his landlord, Gabriel Ogbonna, who claims he hails from Enugu State, said he did it out of greed. “I am a truck driver and I am only paid N20,000 per trip. The landlord allowed me to rent a room because he felt that I am a hardworking truck driver. The money he collected was too much for the room and he was also living in the compound. I had already started working with the gang because it was very difficult to get a driving job. In the compound, the landlord was always displaying his wealth. So I decided to get close to him immediately. I became his boy in less than a month that I moved into the compound. It was easy to know his movement and arrange with the gang to kidnap him from the compound. I was there with them but was wearing a facemask. I encouraged his family to pay the money and consoled them throughout the period that he was held in our hideout.
“When he came back, the man still continued showing off his wealth, so I told the gang to come for him again. It was after the second time that he packed his bag and left the compound with his family,” Gabriel narrated.
Another suspect, Uzochi Onyema claimed that the gang had never killed anyone in his presence.”
“I am from Abia State and a primary school dropout. I am a street boy so it was easy for Jachike to convince me to join them. My job was to hold the cutlass and threaten our victim. I was not among those that normally rape those women. The day I did it, he forced me to do it. If I did not do it, he might kill me, so I joined them that day to rape that woman. It was the first and last time such a thing happened,” he said.
Another suspect, Agwamba Chinemelum, who claimed he owned one of the guns, said he bought it for N25,000 from the market in Aba. “I have worked with the gang for more than two years and since then till date the highest amount I got was N100,000. It was a huge amount for me and still is. I used part of the money that I made from kidnapping to buy my own gun,” he stated.
Yet another gang member, Chukwuebuka Ibeabuchi is a cobbler from Imo State. He confessed that in the past one year, he had consistently assisted the gang to identify some of his generous customers so as to be kidnapped.
His words: “I am 24 and life is so hard for me. This was why I decided to join them. We took an oath of secrecy not to expose anyone if caught. I was surprised when Jachike brought police operatives to my house and arrested me. I am so sorry and I wish that police would give me a second chance. Because of my size, I was never allowed to touch any woman that they kidnapped. I didn’t care as long as my share of the ransom was given to me. I regret my action. They should please forgive me.”