Police at Force Headquarters, yesterday, paraded nine kidnap suspects of the wife of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Margaret Emefiele, just as the kidnappers disclosed that N80 million was collected as ransom.
Disclosing that they didn’t initially know the status of the victim they had abducted, the kidnappers said that on learning about the identity of Mrs. Emefiele, they initially demanded N1.6 billion, but later negotiated the sum down to N100 million.
Each of the soldiers admitted to collecting N6.5 million each, but claimed they only assisted other members of the gang to ferry the huge sum to Benin, Edo State.
Briefing newsmen on the arrest of the culprits, who all confessed to the crime, Force Public Relations Officer, Don Awunah, said that the suspects included two serving Nigerian Army personnel attached to a fighting regiment in Maiduguri.
They are Lance Corporal Musa Maidabra and Lance Corporal Edwin George, as well as a dismissed soldier, Ernest Anthony Uduefe.
Other members of the gang are the leader, Mohammed Abubakar, alias Dogo, Mohammed Musa, Mohammed Sule, Ibrahim Abdullahi, Aliyu Musa and Mohammed Yusuf.
N14.7 million, two newly-bought Honda cars
, an Audi CAR and one AK-47 magazine and two CARTRIDGES were recovered from the kidnappers.
On their individual roles, the FPRO said: “Lance Corporal Maidabra, serving in 122D/30 Regiment in Maiduguri admitted to being part of the gang. An SUV worth N1.5 million and N4.5 million cash, which was part of his share, were recovered from him.
“It was also discovered that he, in company of Lance Corporal Edwin George and dismissed soldier, Ernest Uduefe, while dressed in Army uniform, escorted the kidnappers and the ransom MONEY in a maroon-coloured Audi car out of the forest where they had kept the victim, to Benin, Edo State.
“For Lance Corporal George, serving at 122D Regiment in Maiduguri, a Honda car worth N1.1 million, which he used part of his loot to buy, was recovered from him. He was arrested in Benue State.