Suspect planned to pay my dowry with shared kidnap money, alleges fiancée

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NIGERIA: A FIANCEE and her proposed husband have landed themselves into police net over alleged kidnap of a four-year-old boy in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

The police in Ogun State apprehended the lady-lover, Maureen Uchenna, at the time her proposed husband, Obinna Amoke, had concluded arrangements to pay for her dowry.

Maureen, who was part of the medical personnel at the hospital owned by the kidnapped boy’s father, arranged with Amoke to abduct the boy, police said.

The security operatives stormed the gang’s hideout in Nsukka, Enugu State, where Maureen and other culprits were nabbed.

Maureen told GatewayMail in Abeokuta, when policemen paraded her and others before newsmen, that her fiancé was the ring leader of the kidnap gang,.

She said that the gang had earlier collected N1 million ransom from the victim’s parents, which had already been shared among them, and awaiting additional payment before they were arrested.
Maureen, 25, who was a health attendant in the private hospital owned by Steve’s father, said the gang hide the victim in Abeokuta for eight days before he was moved to Enugu.
“We boarded a vehicle from Kuto Garage to Sagamu and took another vehicle to Nsukka,” the suspect disclosed, adding that the ring leader had earlier trailed the hospital ambulance to the doctor’s home to identify the place before they later came and abducted the boy.
While briefing reporters, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Almajid Ali, said that the three others arrested were Kenechukwu Amoke (21), Anayo Amoke (35) and Oluchi Asadu (20).

Ali stated that all the three suspects were arrested at the residence of Asadu, which has been serving as the gang’s hideout in Enugu State.
According to him, the link for the gang operation was Maureen Uchenna, who was ex-staff of the hospital owned by Steve’s father, who is a medical doctor in Abeokuta.
Ali said: “It will be recalled that on 2nd November, 2015 some suspects went to the house of Dr. Kanumuangi Mucipay at Laderin Estate, Abeokuta and whisked away a young boy Steve Kanu.”
“The command then put its anti-kidnapping squad on its toes with a matching order to rescue the boy unhurt and arrest the hoodlums within a short time,” the commissioner said, adding: “The team put in place strategies and tracked down the suspects at Nsukka, Enugu State where the boy was kept.”

He added: “The boy was rescued on 19th November at 1700 hrs while the perpetrators of the act were arrested.  Uchenna Maureen Atuokwu and Oluchi Asadu were arrested at their hideout in Enugu. The arrest of the duo led to the arrest of additional two suspects, Anayo Amoke ,aged 35years, and Kenechukwu Amoke, aged 21yrs”
“Maureen was a nurse with the father of the victim,” he said, while further stressing: “She planned with one Obinna Amoke, who is a lover to Maureen to carry out the crime.”

Ali said: “The victim was kept in Anayo’s house in Abeokuta for eight days before they moved him to Enugu. Oluchi Asadu’s house in Nsukka was used as their hideout.”