Edo State Police Command has arrested a suspected kidnapper identified as Sampson Ebiowei with an operational Ak-47 rifle.
The 34-year-old noted that he got the rifle from a soldier of the Nigerian Army serving in the Operation Lafiya Dole in the North-East for N300,000.
It was gathered that Ofunama indigene was apprehended by the police with the rifle as well as 88 rounds of ammunition.
Ebiowei while speaking at the command headquarters disclosed that he got the rifle and started the kidnapping business after his name was removed from the list of beneficiaries of the Nigerian government’s Niger-Delta Amnesty Programme for repentant militants.
Ebiowei, who has three wives and four children, said, “I was captured in the Federal Government’s Amnesty Programme before, and was being paid N65,000 per month, but my uncle who helped me to get the job said he wanted to be collecting N20,000 from the money.”
“However, because I said no, he removed my name from the programme.”
“In anger, I contacted a soldier and friend serving in Maiduguri who sold the gun to me for N300,000 along with 88 rounds of ammunition. I had bought the gun to fight the oil companies in our place, because they had refused to give us jobs.”
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Philip Ogbadu, while parading Ebiowei and other suspects, noted that the command has arrested 26 suspected cultists; 17 armed robbers; 11 kidnap suspects and six murder suspects between the end of January and now.
Other arrests made include five persons for assault and one person for rape.
Ogbadu further stated that the command also recovered 119 rounds of live ammunition and eight vehicles.
He further stated that the command will work with other security operatives to reduce crime rate in the state.
Meanwhile, Kano State Police Command has disclosed that it has arrested a notorious criminal syndicate led by a 47-year-old ex-convict, Hauwa Mustapha.
The spokesman of the command, Abdullahi Haruna, while speaking on the development noted that the suspect specializes in car snatching and shop breaking.