Nigeria Security Update #1 150707

Anatomy of a Child Kidnapping (Sunday Nigerian Tribune)

In this detailed description of the latest toddler abduction in Port Harcourt on Thursday, BOLAJI OGUNDELE puts together the unbelievable confessions of the alleged abductors.

You could hardly see any other issue in the news, four days after she had been released, Margaret Hill's story continued to make the front page, at least in the Nigerian media. Editors were still hassling for more updates on her, while all modes of comments were still flying round. Then came the news of yet another toddler’s kidnap, a younger one this time around.

Prince Samuel Ovundah Amadi, son of the paramount ruler of Iriebe, was also kidnapped on the way to his Princess International School. Panic reigned again in Port Harcourt.

This time around, however, there were around the kidnap certain links and leads that supposedly should give the law enforcement and security agencies easy access to the root of the case. First of these were the confessions of one of the two suspects who were arrested on Thursday, almost immediately after the boy was kidnapped. Besides that, the first slip the kidnappers made was giving themselves out by sending an account number to the paramount ruler, father of Samuel, to send their initial ransom demand of N50million. The account name, Dyke Otuonye, is one of the two names mentioned by Isaac, one of the two suspects picked for the kidnap, while an account number, 301450821801 of First Inland Bank, which the kidnappers gave is believed to be capable of providing the picture of one of the criminals.

May be the best way to let you into the first closely followed kidnap case since the menace started in the Niger Delta is to give you a picture of the several dialogues that followed the act. First is the cry of innocence of a suspected culprit, Isaac Onokure, who said he knew nothing about the kidnap, but he knows well the culprits, at least he said so when he recognized the voice of one of his friends on the phone, when that one was calling to demand for ransom. It should also be noted that Isaac had not come to see his Eze, for more than one year and it is not as if he is one of the Eze's indigenous subjects. Eze got to know this same Isaac with Dyke and Kelvin when they went to tell him that they had been hired by another to assassinate him (the Eze):

Ques: What's your name?

Ans: My name is Onokure Owede Isaac.

Ques: Which Kelvin are we talking about?

Ans: There was someone that called the Eze, which I witnessed so the person was like talking and I have lived in the compound like for one year before…

Ques: Which compound are you talking about?

Ans: There was a time when I did not have an accommodation, there is one of my friends, Dike, who took me into his accommodation. Kelvin also lives in that compound. So as this thing happened, the person we were suspecting is this Dike, but as this person now called, I recognized the voice because there is no way you'll stay with someone for one year that you will not recognize his voice on phone. I now tell them that this voice we are hearing is Kelvin's voice, meaning that the thing is leading to Dike.

Ques: Why would you suspect Kelvin?

Ans: Because it is his voice. The voice that called negotiating for money was Kelvin's voice.

Ques: What really happened?

Ans: I came here this morning to see my Eze, along the line a call now came into his phone that they have kidnapped his son. We then went to his school, came back and they were trying to put heads together and finally they said I am a suspect because I am Dike's friend, because I lived with him. That is what happened, I know nothing about this

Ques: Are you from this community?

Ans: I am not from this community, I am from Delta state.

Ques: What do you do?

Ans: I am a student in UST, Computer Science, 100 level.

Now the Eze's driver, who was taking the boy to school when he was kidnapped was not a stranger to the Eze, but he became a suspect according to the Eze, when he was deliberately giving confusing statements on what really happened. Besides that, the abductors suddenly became sympathetic with him so much that when they discovered that he had been handed over to the police, whichever way the kidnappers got the news immediately, they called the chief to let him go or they would cut his son's hand. Though he was initially hostile to press interview, he was made to see reasons and he gave a version of his stories:

Ques: What is your name?

Ans: My name is Kenneth Akubuezeoka.

Ques: What happened?

Ans: It was this morning around 7:00am,I was taking the boy to school as I usually do, then some people used a Volvo to block me, saying they need the child, four of them, carrying guns. All of a sudden I heard a big sound on the door glass beside me, I thought it was gun because one of them had entered and pointed a gun at my head.

Ques: Around what time was that?

Ans: I can't say precisely, but it should be around 8:00am

Ques: Which area and which school, were you taking him to?

Ans: It happened along East-West Road and the boy's school is Princess International School, Elioha.

Ques: What happened?

Ans: After two of them had entered into the vehicle with me, they told me to drive on towards UNIPORT, the brown Volvo was driving after me. When we got to a bushy place they took the boy and told me that I should go, they collected my phone so I could not make any call, so I came back here.

Now, Eze (Dr) Francis Amadi, the paramount ruler of Iriebe, a bubbling community on the outskirt of Port Harcourt, could only express surprise at any reason why his innocent baby boy should be a target of this sort of violence. So much as he was trying to remain calm in the face of his trouble; his first child, as he is also a very young man, was in the wrong hands. He gave a brief introduction into what was gradually growing into another international media issue. Excerpts of his narration and suspicion:

When they called me to pay N50million into their account, I have the account number here with me, yes a First Inland Bank account, I decided to be friendly with them because of the life of my son. I told them that I will pay N5million, they said no.

So I quickly detailed three of my chiefs to take the driver to the place where the thing happened so that they could verify from people around if anything like that happened.

Immediately they left, the boys called me to say I have detailed people with the driver, that I should leave the driver, that the driver is innocent, that if they don't hear from the driver they would cut off one of my son's arms and send it to me in an envelope, that the people giving them information are all here.

As I was talking to them, I didn't know that this young man here (Isaac) recorded their voices and he quickly told me that the man is one of them that he knows him. We then knew that he was the only person giving them information. That is why we have to apprehend them, that the police should take them and keep them in their custody.

Now the driver made several conflicting statements here. First he said they shot the car, later he said it was a stick and then he was telling us things that we don't even know how to lay our hands on. If he is unable to direct us well that means something is fishy. When they went to the scene of the incident, he was telling the people I detailed with him different thing entirely. I then said okay, instead of the information, because since I took their phones, those people have not been calling, so let them remain in police custody while government does something about it. That was all that happened this morning.

Ques: How long has the driver worked with you? And this man (Isaac), how long has he been around you?

Ans: I have not seen this young man for more than one year, I was surprised to see him this morning and when I saw him, I suspected him as someone who came to spy the area. This boy has even threatened one of my chiefs before that he would use dynamite on his house. Right now, I know him as one who knows the people who kidnapped my son, because I must be frank about it.

He has threatened severally that he is going to dynamite the house of my chief. Look at how I knew them. Elelewon people hired them to come and assassinate me. They came back to tell me that Elelewon hired them. The former IG approved a station in Iriebe, Elelewon people said the land belongs to them and hired these boys to go and pull down the sign board. The boys said they would want to expose the people that sent them and that in fact they also gave them N3million to assassinate me, they brought the signboard. Since then, they have been pestering my life that I should give them money for house rent. They have even threatened me before that they would kidnap my son.

On this I made attempt, I told one commander of the SSS that this is what is happening, I never knew they meant it until this morning. That is it, I don't have any serious deal with them. I am suspecting that he particularly, knows what really happened because for more than six months I have not seen him, I just saw him this morning and this thing is happening this same morning. I am suspecting Isaac because he knows those boys, he even mentioned it to me that he knows the man that asked me to pay N50million, he has even said it to the press men. So government should hold him, he knows the boys that hold my son.

After a while, the abductors started calling him to finish up the deal for the ransom and to secure the release of some other person's in his custody who might be important to them.

The conversation with the hoodlums came in at different times:

Chief Francis Amadi on phone to the abductors

Chief: Wetin happen now, release my son now.

Abductors: See those people wey dey for your palace, wey dey do wo wo wo for your palace now, na them be the main people wey bring this job. The thing wey dey there be say we must collect the money before we release your son.

Chief: Na the people wey dey for my palace arrange the job.

Abductors: Yes, dem day there.

Chief: Mention their names to me now.

Abductors: No worry, wetin dey there be say bring the money make you carry your son with you immediately.

Chief: Give me the account number now, how I go take bring the money to una now.

Abductors: How much you bring now na N10million we want.

Chief: Na N5million I go pay, I no go pay N10million.

Abductors: Then all those police people wey you dey send around, the whole movement wey dem dey make, you know say people dey hear am.

Chief: I no send any police, police people don hear am already, come dey ask me questions, I tell them say I no know.

Abductors: All those movements wey you dey make we dey hear am o.

Chief: Give me the account number make I pay the money now so that una go release my son. That boy na innocent boy o, I think una dey aware…(the call ended).
A few moments after then, another call came in from the abductors and the conversation continued.

Chief: My brother, you called me.

Abductors: The only thing wey me I go tell you now be say, those police people wey come your palace now now, we don dey aware so call them back to avoid problem. The N5milliom make you arrange am, package am well…

Chief: The police people wey come now dem don reach station o, okay I go call them back.

Abductors: Call them back to avoid any problem, I think you dey hear me. The N5Million, package am now, you are not paying it into any account, we will call you now to give you details…(call ends again)
Few moments later, another call came through from the abductors:

Abductors: Those boys dem wey dey leave your house (the two suspects), where dem dey go?

Chief: They said dem sabi you people wey hold my son.

Abductors: (Conversation became blurred from the other end)

Chief: Okay, the boys don go, dem don comot.

Abductors: Where dem go, na you send them?

Chief: I don't know where dem go, they comot. The boys no dey here.

Abductors: Those boys dey call me, dem dey worry me.

Chief: Make dem no dey call you again? Then release my son now, nobody go worry you again, release my son make all these things dey over.

Abductors: Hello, excuse me, let me tell you something, … na hin make I never fit tell you the amount … Tell them make dem no dey call me again…

Chief: Okay give me the account number make I send the money make you leave my son. Tell me where I go come collect my son.

Abductors: We need raw cash, raw cash. N1000 notes. I will tell you where you go bring am.

Chief: Una need cash, who go come collect the cash now. Where I go bring am now, tell me make we bring the cash. The boy never eat since morning o.

Abductors: Don't worry. The money don dey now? No go do anything stupid o.

Chief: The money dey now, no problem. Tell me where I go come collect my son.

That was a ransom negotiation dialogue, not a fiction, it happened real life and till now, when this report is being filed, no news has been been heard of the boy or the negotiators. Efforts to reach his father for an update did not materialise as he would not pick calls. Police also don't seem to be making any new head way.

This has become an everyday reality in Port Harcourt, a city which is being ranked on same stand with Iraqi cities in terms of daily mass killing and Brazilian cities in terms of commercial abduction.

Abducted Prince Freed (This Day)

The drama of the kidnap of Prince Samuel Ovunda Amadi has ended almost 24 hours after it started, with the release of the toddler yesterday evening by his captors and his subsequent re-union with his parents at about 5.30 pm.

Confirming the release of the boy, his father, Eze Francis Amadi said the boy was in a good condition. He said the kidnappers released his son around Choba area by WiIlbros in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He said he worked with the State Security Services in ensuring the release of his son and denied that any sums of money paid to the kidnappers.

Eze Amadi told THISDAY, "I got somebody from Port Harcourt that went to Uniport road, near Choba road. I didn't go my self. They left my boy close to WiIlbros. The person I sent gave his number to the kidnappers. So, he was communicating with them. When he got there, he called them and they told him where to go and get the boy. When he got there, he saw him. My boy is all right. There is nothing wrong with him. He is with me in the palace now.

"I did not pay anything. What happened was that I got across to my brothers across Ikwerreland and it was then my people put pressure on them. Seeing that they had no way of escaping, they gave up on the game."

The kidnappers had asked Eze Amadi to pay N50 million before they slashed it to N5 million and later jerked it up again to N8 million. They had threatened to kill the boy if he did not concede to their demands.

At a point, they asked him to pay the money into a particular bank account and later changed their mind and insisted that they wanted cash in N1, 000 notes.

They also asked him to release his driver, Kenneth Akubueze and another visitor to the palace, Isaac Owode.

The duo were arrested when they were inconsistent in their statements while Owode was implicated when he claimed to know the voice on the phone which demanded for the ransom.

Eze Amadi who is the paramount ruler of Iriebe in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State had accused Owode and Akubueze of knowing what happened to his son and the duo were subsequently arrested by the police.

Eze Amadi had alleged yesterday, "The same Isaac had threatened that some people said they were going to kill me and that unless I gave them money, they will kidnap my son. Now, they have done it. This my driver has been working with me for five years but how come he is unable to relay how the incident happened? He first said they used a stick to break the glass and now he is saying they shot at the glass.

Prince Amadi was kidnapped on his way to school in his father's Mercedes Benz jeep by four armed men in a Volvo 244 and taken to East-West road, the same area where he was released.

The kidnap and release of Amadi is coming a few days after Magaret Hill, a British girl was kidnapped in Port Harcourt while on her way to school. She was later released after four days in the custody of her captors.

Seven Workers Kidnapped (Reuters)

Gunmen have abducted seven staff of a local dredging firm in the southeastern Nigerian state of Anambra, police and private security sources said on Saturday.

The workers were seized near the commercial hub of Onitsha located on the banks of the River Niger, late on Thursday and taken by speedboat to Enenchele Island, they said.

The kidnappers have asked for "settlement", another term for ransom, from the firm for their release, security sources said.

Kidnappings for ransom, which are more common in Nigeria's oil producing Niger Delta, have spread to the southeast, where at least two Chinese workers and a number of local politicians and businessmen have been taken hostage this year. They were all freed unharmed after money changed hands.

The latest abductions followed the release of a 3-year-old Nigerian boy seized on Wednesday in the Niger Delta city of Port Harcourt in a rare case of child-kidnapping in Africa's top oil producer.

"Suspected militants in two speed boats went to the place where the 7 men were working near the River Niger and kidnapped them on July 12, but the incident was reported late yesterday," a spokesman for the Anambra state police said by telephone from the capital Awka.

About 200 foreign workers have been kidnapped by different armed groups in the lawless Niger Delta since the start of 2006 and most of them have been released unharmed in exchange for money.

Last Sunday, unknown ransom seekers freed 3-year-old Briton Margaret Hill unharmed after four days in captivity. Gunmen had snatched the toddler on July 5 from the car in which she was being driven to school in Port Harcourt, the delta's main city.

At least 11 foreign hostages are still being held by various armed groups in the volatile southern delta, which accounts for all of the oil production of the world's eighth biggest exporter of crude.