By Onome Oghenetega
Police in Cross River State have paraded six suspects alleged to be involved in the kidnap of the wife of Appeal Court judge, Justice Ignatius Agube, in Calabar last month.
It also announce the arrest of the 28 other suspects for their alleged involvement in other crimes including cultism and piracy across the state.
The State Commissioner of Police, Abdulkadir Jimoh, who paraded the suspects on Thursday in Calabar, said the alleged abductors of the wife of the judge were apprehended by operatives Intelligence Response Team (IRT) deployed to the state.
Mrs Ekwele Agube was abducted in July by gunmen but was later released after spending 15 days in the kidnappers’ hideout.
The bandits during the attack killed one Mrs Glory Akpama, an aide of the judge’s wife.
Jimoh disclosed that operatives recovered locally made pistols from the hoodlums during the arrest, adding they would soon be charged to court.
He gave the name of the suspects as Nse Bassey, (a.ka. the Lion and gang leader of the notorious kidnap syndicate), Bassey Effiong (a.k.a Dragon), Christopher Effaeyo (a Bolt driver), Etim Effiong, Louis Bassey and Edet Ebe.
The police commissioner said the suspects had confessed to the abduction of the victim and the killing of her aide, Mrs Akpama.
“The Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Operatives attached to FIB deployed to the state to assist the Commissioner arrested six notorious kidnappers, recovered locally made pistols and they have confessed to the crime.
“I want to reiterate and unequivocally state that the Command has strategized and mapped out an onslaught on Cultism, armed robbery,kidnapping and other social vices across the state and will never renege on this no matter whose ox is gored .
“within few weeks of my assumption of office ,we have arrested arrested 6 for kidnapping ,3 sea pirates ,10 for armed robbery ,6 for Cultism and 9 others for murder and rape”, the Cross River’s police said.
Jimoh said the command under his watch will continue clampdown on activities of criminal elements to ensure that the state is free of crimes.
Speaking with journalists while being paraded, one of the kidnap suspects and Bolt driver, Christopher Effaeyo, said he was paid N100,000 for participating in the kidnap of the judge wife.
“I was only a driver in the business,I drive bolt in Calabar ,but I drove the woman to their hideout ,I did not kill anybody and I was paid 100 thousand naira for driving her to the creek ,” he said .
Also paraded by the police is one Okon Asuquo aka. Akon, who specializes in cannibalism and butchering of body parts of victims during attacks.
