Chioma Okezie-Okeh

Armed bandits who kidnapped and, later, murdered a Catholic seminarian, Nnadi Michael of the Catholic Good Shepherd Major Seminary at Gonin Gora, Kakau and Bolanle, wife of a medical doctor, Philip Ataga, at Juji community, both in Chikun area of Kaduna State have given chilling details of how and why they perpetrated the evil act after collecting heavy ransoms.

From their confessions, certain facts have emerged, certain patterns about their infernal business. One, they use neighbourhood informants to get information about targets, of how wealthy they are. Two, they usually stake out places, houses, compounds they want to attack or persons they want to kidnap. They spend days reconnoitering the house or trailing their victims. Three, to eliminate any form of suspicion, they wear military camouflages as a decoy. This, oftentimes, make genuine security men to drop their guard.

Four, they rape their female victims no matter how heavy is the ransom paid on their behalf. And, sometimes they do so in full view of other gang members, as a way of humiliating and breaking their wills, perhaps. In fact, it starts with the gang leader who later passes them on as a trophy to other members after he had had his fill, to continue from where he stopped. Five, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, they can be deadly vicious. So, if you are the religious type, your best bet is, don’t preach to them. To do otherwise could be fatal.

 

The gang’s crime profile, by police

These are the few discernable lessons that can be gleaned from the confessions of the three suspects who are now in police net after being nabbed following a carefully planned intelligence and counter-intelligence operations by detectives. As things stand now, others, including their gang leader, are said to be at large.

Their story started on January 9, 2020, when some gunmen stormed the Catholic Seminary and kidnapped four seminarians. They later murdered one of them for reason that was not quite clear then after releasing the other three on January 31, 2020. That was after receiving a big ransom from the church authorities. Some weeks later, it became the turn of Dr. Phillip Ataga’s wife and his two daughters to be abducted from their home by the same gang. The date was January 24, 2020.

According to the Force Public Relation Officer, Frank Mbah (DCP), the suspects identified as Mustapha Mohammed, Shehu Bello, and Tukur Usman were arrested after several months of intensive and extensive intelligence monitoring by crack detectives of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

“They are also responsible for the kidnap of six students and two teachers of Engravers College, Chikun LGA, Kaduna, from their school premises on October 3, 2019,” he added. “The suspects, known to belong to a hybrid terrorist criminal network causing untold havoc in North-Central Nigeria, have confessed to several other random operations along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway where they kidnapped, killed and robbed motorists, collecting ransoms and valuables running into millions of naira.”

 

Why and how the doctor’s wife was killed

Recounting in detail what transpired, Mohammed claimed that the two incidents were initiated by an Okada rider who served as their informant for years. His story: “I am 26 and a native of Kaban village in Igabi area of Kaduna State. My parents did not bother to send me to the regular school. But I later attended the Islamic School of Almajiri in Kaduna when I was 10 years. My father is a cattle rearer. So I joined him when I became a teenager till I was able to buy my own cows. To be a cattle-rearer in the North is not easy because of cattle rustlers. I lost many when they attacked our village. This was why I decided to allow my friends, Buhari and Nasuru Kachala, to teach me the job of [kidnapping and robbery] since they have easy access to guns. This was how I started about three years ago and graduated into a kidnapper with Kachala as our gang leader.

“Apart from random-raiding, we have informants in town who normally send a list of targets to us. One of such is Idris Shehu, an Okada rider in Kaduna town. He was the one who brought the Doctor’s wife and Catholic Church attacks ideas,” he stated. “He is a popular Okada rider at Juji community where the Doctor and his family reside. He was the one that told us that the doctor’s house is one of the biggest houses in that area and people knew that he is very rich. Kasala sent four of our members to survey the area for three days. This was how we discovered that there is a mobile policemen post close to the area.

“On the day that we attacked, some of our members were given military camouflages and AK-47s. This was done to make it easy for them to move around and for people to assume that we are real military men on patrol that night. About eight of us were positioned close to the police post in case they noticed what was going on. Their instruction was to kill them if they dared to interfere.

“Others surrounded the house and waited for the signal to strike. I was amongst those who jumped into the compound and grabbed the doctor’s wife and children. At exactly 11 pm, Kachala gave the signal and we struck. Unfortunately, the policemen heard us and opened fire. Those who were positioned took care of that while we jumped into the compound and broke down their door.

“Our initial target was the doctor but unfortunately he was not at home. So we decided to carry his wife and children. We took his children because some men have plenty of women, they might not be worried if one is missing. We took them to our hideout in Rigana forest, which was about an hour-journey on foot. I don’t know how many policemen were killed that day because I was not posted to their own side.”

Having taken them into their custody, they initially demanded for N100 million from the doctor. But he explained to them several times that he could not afford such. “After eight days, when we found out that the doctor could not raise up to N5 million, we decided to separate his wife and children,” Mohammed recalled. “This was to let him understand that his kids were without their mother and in serious danger. Although they were separated from their mother, we have women amongst us who took good care of them. I assume that was why he managed to raise N8 million. We agreed to collect that amount and N40, 000 worth of MTN recharge cards. They spent about 15 days with us before the money was finally paid. It was then that Kachala requested that we bring the doctor’s wife to his tent. He always said that he must rape her before she is released.

“Normally, if we kidnap women, our gang leader must have his fill before another person could be allowed access. But for the doctor’s wife, Kasala initially did not touch her because she had children with her. On his instruction, we dragged her to his tent and in our presence, he tried to rape her but the woman started fighting. She used her teeth to give Kachala a mark on his left arm.

“Out of anger, Kachala took his cutlass and hit her on the head before stabbing her severally on the stomach. She bled and died on the spot. He ordered us to drop her body close to the refinery in our area and call her husband to come and pick his wife’s body.”

 

Why the seminarian was killed

Killing is nothing to the drug and alcohol-influenced Kachala. So, it was not surprising when another kidnap victim became a fatality of his vicious anger, but for a different reason. This notwithstanding, he was influenced by the same lust to rape, kill and maim. The victim this time around: Nnadi Michael, the Catholic seminarian whose death and burial caused Bishop Matthew Kukah of Catholic Diocese, Sokoto, to deliver an acerbic sermon that continued to cause ripples in the corridors of power for days after.

It was a tragedy that started some weeks earlier with an invasion of their seminary and later kidnap of Michael and three other seminarians. Mohammed tells what happened. “The Catholic school attack was the first one that Idris suggested that we execute. Kachala personally went with three others to survey the place for three days, both day and night. On the third day, he came back and ordered that we would go at night. Everyone who participated wore military camouflage uniforms. When we got there around 11 pm, they had just finished their night prayer and they rang their bell and asked everyone to go to bed.

“We waited for about 30 minutes for the students to settle down before we started jumping into the compound. It was easy because their fence is low and as soon as we grabbed one person, others started running about, despite our gunshots. We could only grab four of them before others escaped. We took them to our camp, which was about two hours journey on foot. It was then that the one who was killed started preaching that we should repent. It was even because of that we decided to beat them up when we arrived at the camp.

“Still he kept talking and talking. Kachala was angry and personally warned him to stop but he continued. Eight days later, their people paid N10 million and recharge cards worth N30, 000. We are in the bush and there is no access to shops where we can buy a recharge card. So the ones the families of the victims usually send are shared amongst us while the rest is used for negotiations.

“After the money was successfully collected, Kachala told us that he would kill the one preaching to prove to us that their God does not have the power to save him. On the day that they were released, he asked us to take the three others to an area where they can be found. Shortly after they left, he shot the fourth person who was always asking us to repent or we will die. Kachala later called them to come and pick his corpse.”

But after the two incidents, they did not stop their criminal career, their kidnapping business. Mohammed claimed to have lost counts of the number of successful kidnaps organized by the Kachala group, from January 2020 till sometime in March when he was arrested.

“I have lost count but I can only remember about 40 persons who were kidnapped by our group this year,” he said. “Initially, we used to abduct people by blocking motorists along Kaduna expressway till police came after us. They drove us into the bush. The other way that was free was being controlled by another dangerous group. The only option left was to plan each kidnap. We have several informants that normally bring list of people that we can kidnap. There are more than 15 groups in Rijana forest and the villagers have no choice but to assist us else they will be kidnapped. They normally help us to buy drugs, alcohol, and food especially after a successful raid.”

Asked if he learned the art of kidnapping in Arabic school, Mohammed said no and blamed it all on sheer greed. “There is no part of Koran that supports the killing of the innocent or even kidnapping,” he said. “We only call on the name of Allah during our attacks to make them think that we know Allah. I was carried away by my lust for more money. Despite all the kidnappings, I cannot boast of N50, 000 in my pocket. I was paid N700, 000 after the doctor’s wife kidnap and N400, 000 for the catholic school. All that money was spent on beautiful women, drugs and alcohol.”

 

How to stop kidnapping – Suspect

The second suspect, Bello, while confirming Mohammed’s narration, promised to help police find Kachala if they would let him go. Asked what prompted him to take to the life of crime, he started by introducing himself. “I am 40 and from Kangimi village in Igabiarea of Kaduna State. I married three wives but sent them packing when I became a full-time kidnapper. I felt there was no need since I now have access to more beautiful women including those that were kidnapped.  If I did not drive them away, I am sure that the police would have arrested me. I used to buy and sell cow till I met Kachala and I believe it was God’s wish.  It is also his wish that police will catch me after four years.

“The only way to stop kidnapping in that forest is to arrest everyone and force them to swear with the Koran. If you don’t do that, they will do it again. If possible, I will like to help police arrest Kachala and others. I will also like to be a policeman if they would recruit me. I like how they carry gun and no one is afraid of them except criminals.”

 

Gang member explains his journey into kidnapping

The third suspect, Usman, who admitted participating in the aforementioned kidnap cases led by Kachala, also revealed why he went into the crime. “I am 37 and married to one wife and blessed with seven children,” he said. “I joined this work because I have too many children. I have about 2000 cows which I used to deceive people that I am doing a good job. Most of my cattle were stolen while I was serving Kachala. It is common in our area. No matter how secured you think you are, someone must steal your cow. And, it would be very difficult for police to arrest him because he has charms. I also have charms that stop me from sleeping with any woman that is not my wife. This is why I have never raped any woman that was kidnapped by us. I don’t know where Kachala got his charm because he is a serial rapist. If the doctor’s wife had cooperated with him, she would have still been alive today.”