Police Arrest 5 Crack Kidnappers, Smash Child Pornography Gang

The Nigeria Police Force, announced on Sunday that its Intelligence Response Team had arrested five members of a notorious kidnap-for-ransom gang that specialises in the abduction of women and girls, sexually abusing them and obtaining ransom from their families before their release.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, a Commissioner of Police, named the suspects, all men, as: Osinachi Ngwakwe, 22, from Ubaka Community in Umahia South LGA, Abia State; Sammy Junior Inordee, alias T-Boy, 27, from Gwarra Community in Khana LGA, Rivers State; Epo-Bari Nwolu, 26, from Ogale Community in Eleme, LGA, Rivers State; Yabari Gbarale, 29, from Gwara community, Khana LGA, Rivers State; and Barine Yilda, 30, alias Albino or Yellow, from Gwara community, Khana LGA, Rivers State.

The suspects, according to Mba, were arrested by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team “following massive manhunt by the Force for the perpetrators of the recent trend of abduction of women in some states in the South-South part of the country, especially Port Harcourt and its environs. The victims are subjected to series of sexual abuses and ransom demanded from their families before their release.”

Investigations, he contined, revealed that the suspects target lone female drivers of exotic cars as they drive out of offices, shopping malls or any vulnerable places. They, thereafter, trail them to lonely roads, abduct and take them to their criminal hideouts, sexually abuse them, and demand ransom from their families before their release. They also sell off their exotic cars.

Four AK47 rifles, one double barrel shotgun and a set of military camouflage uniforms suspected to have been illegally acquired, which they wear to beat security checks, were recovered.

Mba furtehr disclosed that efforts  were being intensified to arrest fleeing gang members and recover more weapons and stolen vehicles used by the suspects for their operations.

Similarly, Operatives of the Nigeria Police INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Abuja, have arrested two Kano-based suspects: Ibrahim Muazzam Mohammad Aminu and Mohammad Tahir Umar, alleged to be members of a trans-border/international child porn syndicate which sexually abuse and take undue advantage of underage girls. The suspects were also alleged to disseminate video recordings of the illicit sexual act on an international social media Whatsapp group chat known as “Pervertidos”, owned and managed by a Brazilian called Adriana.

Their arrest followed intelligence received from the INTERPOL NCB, Brasilia. Exhibits recovered from the suspects include: three mobile phones and a laptop computer. Forensic investigations/analysis carried out by the Police team on the gadgets revealed series of pornographic/erotic videos with underage girls which the suspects shared on the internet for a fee denominated in US Dollars.

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has said that the action plan being implemented by the Force to curb sexual and gender based violence, SGBV, particularly all forms of abuse on women and children in the country, is yielding positive results.

The IGP noted that a total of 2,792 suspects were arrested by the police for sexual and gender based violence and other sexual related offences in 2020. The arrests were linked to some 2,573 cases currently being prosecuted under the Force Gender Unit in various courts across the country. Others are still under active investigations, he said.

The IGP enjoined parents and guardians to keep a close watch on their children and wards, and report any incident of abuse against women and children. He expressed displeasure with the prevailing culture of silence in concealing crimes against women and children and called for improved collaboration with the police. He assured that the Force was well repositioned to protect women and children, and confront violent crimes in the country.

All the suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigations, Mba concluded.