How Igbo Businessman Was Beheaded After Wife Paid N40, 000 Ransom – Suspect Confesses
MICHAEL AKINOLA
Facts have emerged on how an Igbo businessman, Osondu Nwachukwu, was beheaded after he was abducted as his wife paid only N40,000 ransom for his release.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened in Lafia, Nasarawa State, where the deceased ran a sachet water factory business.
The abduction was reported to Police operatives from IGP Intelligence Response Team led by DCP Abba Kyari, who moved into action and arrested one of the suspects.
The suspect, Bello Mohammed and four other members of the gang identified as Maikano, Dogo, Hassan, and Jubril reportedly committed the dastardly act.
According to Police sources, the criminals abducted Nwachukwu on 11th March, 2021, from his house and contacted his wife to pay N5m as ransom to facilitate Nwachukwu’s freedom.
However, the wife reportedly begged the kidnappers that she could only afford N40, 000 and was instructed to drop the money at a particular point in the bush.
Before she could deliver it, they butchered her husband and put his corpse in a sack to throw away inside the bush.
The suspects were about to dispose of the remains in a bush in the Bukan Koto area along Makurdi Maraba- Ankunza Road when some men, who were going to a mosque to pray, saw them conveying the sack in a wheelbarrow and they abandoned the sack and ran away when the worshippers, who were suspicious of the gang, demanded to know the content.
They then reported the matter to the Police. Acting on credible intelligence, detectives were able to arrest one Bello Mohammed, a native of Lafia Local Government Area, Nasarawa. He confessed to the crime and said that he is part of a kidnapping and cattle rustling gang.
The 37-year old Mohammed, who is married with two wives and has 8 children, disclosed that he was introduced into crime by his brother- in- law identified simply as Dogo.
Mohammed said the gang was contracted by an unknown Igbo man to kidnap Nwachukwu.
He said, “He told us that the man owned sachet water business but was stingy. He assured us that the man would pay at least N10m because he was rich. He gave us all the details about his movement and advised that the best place to abduct him was his house”.
”We went into his house on three motorbikes around 8.30pm and loitered around his compound. Meanwhile, one of us waited for him at the factory area and followed him home. It was the gang member who alerted us that they were on the way to the house.”
”As soon as he drove into his compound around 9pm, we followed and overpowered him. We searched his house for valuables and dragged him along. We carried him on our bikes and threatened to kill him if he raised the alarm. When we got to a spot, we stopped and trekked for hours into Bukan Koto forest in Lafia.”
The suspect, Mohammed, further disclosed that while at their den, their mastermind called to inform them that the victim’s wife said the family could not raise the 10 million Naira ransom.
“He said the wife was lying and not serious to save the life of her husband. Unfortunately, the man overheard our conversation and was able to identify the person that gave us the job. The man told us to kill him after collecting the money.”
“We were ready to spare him but his wife was not making any serious effort. So Dogo got angry and said that he was no longer interested in the job. He used his machete to cut off the man’s head.”
“Dogo butchered him and packed his remains in a sack. Two other members of the gang and I were given the body to dispose of it at the nearest river. We used a wheelbarrow to carry the butchered body but we were stopped by some Fulani men returning from the mosque. We all left the corpse and ran away. I guess they were the ones who reported the matter to the Police” Mohammed confessed.
