Police investigations into the kidnapping and murder of a 72-year-old woman, Mrs. Regina Obi Daity, took a twist after detectives found that it had direct link with the abduction of Prof. Kamene Okonjo, the mother of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Both victims were kidnapped in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State by the same gang.
The alleged insider in the Okonjo abduction, a palace guard in Ogwasi-Uku, Chiejine Onochie, was said to have lost out in the sharing of the N13 million ransom collected on the victim out of the N200 million demanded, following his alleged role in the “premature release of the woman”.
Consequently, the palace guard was reportedly asked by the gang to find another victim with wealthy relations they could kidnap, and that it was from the ransom he (Onochie) would be compensated.
The palace guard picked Daity, the septuagenarian, as their next target because, in his reckoning, she had a wealthy son, Danquah, a Customs licenced clearing and forwarding agent based in Lagos.
That marked the beginning of the Daity woman kidnapping nightmare on 3 March.
The kidnappers demanded N10 million ransom on the victim, got N2 million but still murdered the woman over the N8 million unpaid balance.
The woman’s body was found in ‘Igbeki evil forest’ in Okada area of Edo State.
Besides Onochie, 32, the other suspected kidnappers are Chukwuma Okoh, 31, Michael Ojeabulu, 23, Endurance Oke, 22, Ibrahim Abubakar, 28, Buhari Amajola, 27, and Hassan Husseini, 29.
The alleged gang leader is Jideofor Ogbue, aka Marvelous, 22.
All the suspects in the kidnapping saga are in police net with the exception of one, identified as Peter, said to be on the run.
Marvelous described Peter as the deadliest in the gang, alleging that he was the one who, infuriated that the N8 million balance of the ransom was not forthcoming, shot dead the 72-year old woman.
Danquah, the son of the victim; Marvelous, the alleged gang leader, and Onochie, the Ogwashi-Uku palace guard, narrated the kidnapping story to Sunday Vanguard.
They took ransom and still killed my mother – DanquahMy mother was kidnapped on 3 March. My elder sister, who resides in the village, called and informed me about it. The incident happened on a Sunday as I was preparing for church. I told my sister not to bother, that the kidnappers would later call and demand money. After the church service, my niece came and told me that my sister called her and said the kidnappers had been trying to reach me and that I had not been picking my calls. I went to my car and picked my phone. I saw a lot of missed calls from one number. They also sent me a message saying, ‘Mr. Danquah, pick your call or you will be sorry’. I tried calling them back but the line was switched off. But on my way home, somewhere around Ipaja, they called me again and asked if I was aware they took my mother that morning.
They said they just wanted to let me know that my mother was in their custody. I told them I was aware. They later said that they will call me back and tell me what they wanted from me. About two hours later, they called and asked if I was ready to talk and I said yes. They said I should give them N30 million. I asked them where they expected me to get such money. I tried to plead with them that I had just lost my wife. The moment I said that, they erupted and said that they got information and they had investigated me and realized that I used my wife for rituals.
RitualsThey also said that my file was on their table and that if I didn’t pay N30 million, they will not release my mother. I begged them for N1million but they said no. I explained to them that was the only amount I could afford. Then I asked if I could speak with my mother, they gave her the phone and I spoke with her. That was the last and only time I spoke with my mother. When I finished speaking with my mother, the kidnappers told me that they wanted to round off the business and move on to other things. Then they asked me to pay N10 million. I told them that they were still on the high side and I insisted that all I had was just N1 million. The next day, Monday, they called me again and asked me, ‘where is our N10 million?’ I told them that I didn’t have such money and, if I had, I would give it to them and there was no one that could borrow me. They said they wanted to do me a favour, that I should pay N3.5 million and come and carry my mother because they had other issues to attend to and they didn’t want my mother’s issue to disturb them. I offered to pay them N1.5million because I didn’t want to make it look as if I was being greedy . They said now that they would never take N1.5million from me and the last they will accept was N2million. I called some friends whose mother had been kidnapped before and they told me that they paid two million ransom. I asked the kidnappers to give me three days to raise the money.
Two hours to payThey told me that if I wanted three days, I will have to pay them N3.5millon. I told them I didn’t have such money. They said I had two hours to pay the money. Then I called a friend in Delta State and told him what I was going through. He withdrew the money and gave it to my cousins, Chinedu Obi and Cyril Obi. I sent their telephone numbers to the kidnappers and they called my cousins and told them where to come to Abudu in Edo State. When they got there, they were asked to go to Benin. They went and the kidnappers called them again to come to Okada Junction, and instructed them to drive into a bush before three men, armed with rifles, came out and took the money from them. At that time, I didn’t want to get the police involved; all I wanted was for the kidnappers to collect the money and free my mother. After collecting the money, the kidnappers asked my cousins to go to mega filling station and that when they get there, they should call them to bring out my mother. When my cousins got there, they didn’t find my mother and they called the kidnappers who now told my cousins to tell me that I thought I was smart, that I was going to pay the remaining N8 million. Then the kidnappers called me and said that they had received my N2million, but I must pay the balance.
Account under watchI asked them where they expected me to get that kind of money and how was I even sure that if I paid them the money they will free my mother. Three days later, I went to the Lagos State Police Command headquarters and reported the matter to the Commissioner of Police. I briefed him, and he directed the State Intelligence Bureau, SIB, to commence investigation. Two days later, my sister got a call from one Chukwuma, who told her that he wanted to free my mother and my sister should give him N300, 000. My sister called and informed me about it. I asked if she had the money; she said yes, and I said she should give him. The boy foolishly sent an account number of his sister to my sister and I contacted the bank and informed them about what was happening and they kept the account under watch. When his sister went to the bank to withdraw the money, she was arrested.
When she was brought to the SIB, we told her that her brother was a kidnapper and if she did not want to get involved, she should call her brother and tell him she had cashed the money. She called the brother and informed him, then the brother asked him to keep it for him. Then the sister took us to their home town and called the brother that she was home and that he should come and get his money. When the brother came, she alerted us and we swooped on him. When we arrested him, he told us that it was his friend, Onochie, who asked them to kidnap my mother. I told the police not to bother about Onochie, that we will get him and all I wanted was for him to hand my mother over to me. He gave the police the names of everyone who took part in the kidnapping and that my mother was being held in Edo. He also told us that they used a Mercedes C Class for the operation and the vehicle belonged to Idowu a top member of the gang based in Benin.
Kidnapper’s Mercedes BenzWe proceeded to Edo State, but while we were driving along a street in Benin, I sighted a silver Mercedes Benz C class and I showed Chukwuma if it was Idowu’s own and he looked at it and said yes. The car was parked in front of a grocery store and the driver went inside the store. Chukwuma gave us the description of Idown, one of the policemen entered the store and confirmed he was there and when he came out they grabbed him. He was shouting that they should let go of him, that he had done nothing wrong. But when he entered the vehicle we drove and saw Chukwum,a he became shocked. I asked if he knew who I was, he said no. I then told him that I am Danquah, the man he kidnapped his mother. He screamed and said I should kill him. He told me that he did not deserve to be alive. I told him I won’t kill him and, all I wanted from him was to take me to my mother and release her to me. He said no, he deserved to be killed.
Strong-heartedThe man was so strong-hearted, we asked him to take us to where they held my mother, he refused. Then Chukwuma gave us the direction while Idowu was handcuffed and kept in the truck. The moment we got to the entrance of the forest, called evil forest, Idowu jumped out of the moving vehicle and attempted to escape. The police officer who was supposed to guard him shot at him; he died from bullet wounds. Then Chukwuma led the policemen into the forest.
Decomposing bodyAfter some hours, one of the policemen came to me and said, ‘Take heart, Danquah, your mother is dead’, that they found her decomposing body lying on the ground. I went in and saw her, I felt like dying. We went back to Edo State Police Command and informed the Commissioner of Police about it. He gave us permission to remove my mother’s corpse to the mortuary. We went back to Delta State, arrested Onochie and took him and Chukwuma to Lagos. When the CP Lagos, Umar Manko, was briefed on how my mother died, he ordered the officer in charge of the State Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Abba Kyari, to clamp down on the remaining suspects. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Sad story. Danquah, please take heart. Don't think of vengeance, leave everything in the hands of the Lord for he does not leave such a crime go unpurnished. It is a difficult thing to do but that is what is demanded of us as good Christians. God will visit a greater evil of those idiots.
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