Akwa Ibom State Police Command has paraded about four suspects alleged to have kidnapped a retired Permanent Secretary in the state, Mr. Ignatius Brown in Abak Local Government Area.
Brown, a retired Permanent Secretary, Special Services Department, Governor’s Office, Uyo, was returning from church service at St John’s Pro-Cathedral, Abak when the gunmen swooped on him in front of his compound, located behind Abak Township Stadium in October 2022.
The State Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durosinmi, paraded the kidnappers at the command headquarters in Ikot Akpan Abia, Uyo, alongside 126 other suspects arrested for various crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, vandalism, murder and rape in the first quarter of 2023.
According to the Commissioner, the kidnappers of Brown demanded a ransom of N80 million having discovered the huge sum of money in his bank account through his mobile phone.
The CP, who warned people to pay detailed attention to security by not going about with the phones that have an alert of their huge savings, noted that it was the account balance of their victim that made them peg the ransom to that amount even as he said that police advised the family not to pay a dime to the kidnappers.
The Commissioner stated that the synergy between the police and other sister agencies helped the police to record the feat.
Durosinmi regretted that the family out of desperation gathered some money and paid the suspects but police operatives were able to trace the kidnapper’s hideout, rescued the victim and arrested some suspects while others were at large and one locally made pistol, three wooden guns were recovered.
Meanwhile, one of the suspects, Sunday Ekwere, confessed to having received N850,000 as proceeds from the ransom they collected.
“Sunday Daniel Ekwere ‘m’ of Ibiaka village (d) Emmanuel Mbosowo Friday ‘m’ of Ikot Abasi Akpan village, both in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, who were involved in the kidnapping of Mr. Ignatius Brown of Abak Local Government Area, a former Permanent Secretary, were also arrested. The said Sunday Ekwere confessed to having received 850,000.00 as proceed from the ransom,” the CP stated.
“Anietie Okomba Utoh a.k.a Akpakpa ‘m’ of Ikot Obio Utoh village in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area, (f) Ubong Gideon Akpan a.k.a Udo Power ‘m’ of Ekparakwa village in Oruk Anam Local Government Area, were involved in the kidnapping and attempted murder of Godwin Pius Ekarika of Ikot Obio Utok village and Peter Aniefiok Thompson of Ikot Abiaenin village.” he added.
