By Simpson Boroh
The Bayelsa State unit of the State Security Service (SSS) also known as Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested a 43-year-old prophet, Kingsley Jeremiah Amos and three others for alleged kidnap attempt.
It was learnt that the cleric and the three others were arrested for allegedly threatening to kidnap and threatening the life of the chairman of the Yenagoa council in Bayelsa, Uroupaye Nimizuoa.
The three other suspects are; 38-year-old ICT expert, Philip Anayo Okorie, who is an indigene of Akanu Community in Ohaffia Local Government area of Abia State; 37-year-old spiritualist, Tari Erigi, from Okordia-Zarama community of Yenagoa Local Government and one 35-year-old woman, Nsikan Umoh Sunday, from AKwa Ibom State.
The four suspects were paraded by operatives following a petition by the council chairman, Nimizuoa. The suspects also threatened to abduct the mother and family members of the Bayelsa council chairman.
According to the DSS Deputy Director of Operations, Femi Shotayo, said the arrested suspects were led by the ICT expert, Philip Okorie, over their alleged involvement in the illegal tracking of the GSM numbers for commercial purposes.
Shotayo said Okorie “in connivance with his syndicate took advantage of his relationship with the victim and fraudulently initiated life-threatening calls including threat to kidnap on the victims using unknown GSM numbers in a bid to extort the victim.
“Okorie was eventually arrested by operatives of the service in Abia state. And Amos, who paraded himself as a clergy and prophet before the victim, collaborated with his Mistress/wife, one Nsikan Umoh Sunday, female, 35years, and threatened to kidnap the victim.
“Findings further showed that the threat was aimed at compelling their victim to contract them for prayers in exchange for money. They were apprehended in Calabar and both have confessed to the crime.”
“Also arrested was a 37years old Tari Erigi who is a spiritualist and allied of the Council Chairman who sent a threat of kidnap to the victim in order to extort money from the later.
“Meanwhile, all the suspects have voluntarily confessed to the crime under investigation, just as exhibits linking the suspects with the crime have been recovered.”
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Confirming the incident, the Yenagoa Local Government Chairman, Hon. Nimizuoa, said he had to alert the Security agencies over the alleged threat by the arrested suspects due to the March 5th, 2020 experience in which his mother, Madam Betty Nimizoua, was abducted by unidentified gunmen.
He said “While in court over the arrest of the key suspect in the kidnap of my mother, I started receiving threats of kidnap from unknown numbers and I reported to the security agencies. The key suspect, Philip, was shown to me as the person threatening me that if I don’t release the arrested kidnapper of my mother, they will kidnap me.”
“Philip was also the same person brought to me by the Police to work with me as an independent phone tracker to track the phone lines. I had thanked the police for rescuing my mother and providing me with evidence to prosecute my mother’s kidnappers but little did I know that the independent tracker working with me was a kidnapper. The second suspect came to me and said he wanted to pray with me. And I opened my doors to him but he turned around to be sending life threatening messages.”
One of the suspects, Philip Okorie, however, denied the charges of attempted kidnap brought against him, claiming that he has 12 years working relationship with the Nigerian Police as an independent Data/Phone calls analyst involved in locating kidnappers and their victims.
“My calls to the Yenagoa Local Government Chairman was purely to collect the unpaid debt for my services during the rescue of his mother and arrest of the suspect. I sent text message to him from hidden numbers because he does not pick my calls and refused to pay monies owed me”
