One of the kidnap suspects simply identified as Ebi who was paraded alongside three others last week Friday by the Rivers State Police Command for alleged kidnap of a sixty-five-year-old man, Sokari Braide, at Elechi Waterfront, Phase 2,Mile 1 Diobu, Port Harcourt penultimate Saturday has revealed that the area is an illegal bunkering hub.
The suspect who admitted being into illegal bunkering told our correspondent that he was not involved in the kidnap of the 65-year- old man.
Mr. Ebi alleged that the victim who later died was into the business of illegal oil bunkering as well as many residents in the area.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, a Superintendent of Police(SP) while addressing journalists, said following discreet investigation by the Eagle Crack Police unit led by its Commander, the prime suspect, Perfect Agbasi, from Edo State was arrested.
SP Omoni noted that the group had collected ransom of 1.2 million naira at a location in Andoni Local Government before their arrest. SP Omoni revealed that his confessional statement led to the arrest of other members of the gang while adding that efforts are on to apprehend fleeing members of the group.
Mrs Beauty Sokari, the wife of the deceased told journalists that despite her plea for her husband to be released the kidnappers who initially demanded twenty million naira ransom refused.
She disclosed that her husband gave up the ghost at the hospital two days after he was released from the custody of the kidnappers.
The prime suspect told journalists that the leader of the kidnap gang contacted him after the incident to furnish him with the victim’s wife’s phone number. Agbasi disclosed that he contacted Gentle who gave him the phone number and he later went to see the kidnappers in Ogoni.
He stated that the kidnappers gave him twenty thousand naira for getting the phone number of the victim’s wife. Agbasi however exonerated two other suspects from the matter.
