One of the kidnappers of CBN Governor’s wife bought 2 houses, 3 plots of land and opened N3m shop

Police have apprehended one of the three remaining suspects involved in the kidnap of the wife of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in October, bringing to 10 the number of suspects so far arrested.
The suspect, identified as Abubakar Umaru, was trailed by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, to a grocery store in Minna, Niger State, where he was arrested.
Nine suspects, including two serving and a dismissed Army personnel, were earlier arrested few days after the CBN governor’s wife and three others were kidnapped on the Benin-Agbor Highway.
N80 million was allegedly paid as ransom to the kidnappers, while Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris, reportedly deployed his IRT operatives, led by CSP Abba Kyari, to track down the suspects.
The suspects, who were mainly herdsmen, were said to have been arrested in separate locations in Delta, Edo and Benue states. N16.1 million and some exotic cars were recovered from them.

Umaru’s investment
Meanwhile, Umaru, who had allegedly escaped with a large share of the ransom, was said to have bought two houses and three plots of land in Minna, Niger State. He was said to have opened a grocery store with N3 million.
Umaru claimed he received N10 million as his share, disclosing that a driver, who is a native of Delta State, was called into the bush from Edo State to transport each member of the gang out of Asaba, Delta State.
According to him, each member of the gang paid the driver N750,000 as he drove them to the point where they boarded buses to their various destinations.
The 28-year-old suspect, who claimed his father was a native of Kabi, while his mother hailed from Niger State, said he grew up inside the bushes of South-Western Nigeria, where he reared cows.
He claimed that he joined the gang, based in Edo and Delta states, through one of his friends, Manu.

‘How we escaped’
According to him, “after the operation, we shared the money and I got N10 million. My friend, Manu, called a driver who came with a Mercedes Benz car and we all agreed to throw away our mobile phones and SIM cards so that we cannot reach ourselves again in life.
“In the event that any of us is arrested, that person would not be able to give any number to the police. After I was taken out from the bush to Asaba, I went to Manu’s house in the town.
“From there, I proceeded to the motor park where I boarded a bus to Minna. I bought two houses, three plots of land and opened a provision shop with N3 million in Minna.
“I did these because my gang members did not know that my mother was from that town. I then decided never to go back to crime because I have got all I needed in life.”
While confirming the arrest, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Dan Anuwah, said the police would confiscate all the property purchased with the loot and that the suspects would be charged to court.