2 ministers escape kidnappers’ attempt - Egwu would have been killed, ransom or no ransom - SSS

Friday Ekeoba, Odidison Omankhanlen and Lanre Oyetade, Lagos - 18.09.2009

THE impasse between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government, on Thursday, took a new dimension when the State Security Service (SSS) paraded four suspects in Abuja, for allegedly planning to kidnap the Minister of Education, Dr. Sam Egwu, and his Labour and Productivity counterpart, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), for ransom.

The Assistant Director, Public Relations of the SSS, Mrs. Marilyn Ogar, told newsmen that the suspects plotted to kidnap the duo with intent to make fast money out of the crisis. The suspects are: 58-year old Abdallah Alfa alias Ambassador, and three students of the University of Abuja (UniAbuja); Kingsley Njoku Obi, Aniabor Ochuko, alias Kelly Handsome; and Chilaka Rowland, alias Peace.

It was gathered that after the kidnap, the suspects were to have demanded a ransom of N300 million from the Federal Government. They were also to have asked the Federal Government to sign the contentious agreement with the ASUU, and a reduction in rank of the two ministers.

Ogar further revealed that the leader of the gang, Alfa, was said to have planned to release Kayode and kill Egwu after the ransom would have been paid.

According to the SSS, the suspects, who were arrested on September 12, 2009, would be handed over to the police for prosecution after investigations were concluded. It was also learnt that the chief suspect, Alfa, had been claiming that he was the Nigerian Ambassador to Spain.

Ogar said: “The Service has arrested the following suspects who planned, though unsuccessful, the kidnap of the Minister of Education, Sam Egwu and that of Labour and Productivity, Adetokunbo Kayode.

“While three of them are students of the University of Abuja, preliminary investigations showed that the plan was designed to serve as a forceful way of ending the ongoing strike.

“The suspects have owned up to their plot and strategies to achieve their objective before they were nabbed by the Service. The Minister of Education was to be forced to sign an alleged agreement with ASUU. They further planned to demand a ransom of N300 million from the Federal Government as a condition for releasing the ministers, should they have been kidnapped.

“However, part of the plot was to equally kill Egwu, the Minister of Education and release Kayode after the ransom would have been paid. “The choice of using students for the operation was ostensibly to make the exercise and the subsequent demand appear as if geared towards the Federal Government and ASUU impasse.”

The SSS spokesperson added that investigations by the agency revealed that Alfa, the leader of the group “is an incurable fraudster given his antecedents. He has been associated with previous attempts to obtain money under false pretences.

“While he hails from Dekina, Kogi State, he claims to be Hausa from Kano. The plan to kidnap the ministers was discussed in his house in Abuja. He not only promised to sponsor the attempt, he initiated it. He recruited others and promised them the sum of N14 million with an initial payment of N4 million.”

Giving a brief on the three UniAbuja students, Ogar said: “Obi who is 23 years old is a 400 level student of Political Science at the University of Abuja. He resides in Abuja. He was part of the original plot to kidnap the ministers.

“Ochuko is 27 years old and hails from Oha Town, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State. He is a diploma student of the University of Abuja and claimed to be studying Computer Science. He came all the way from Warri, where he has been resident since the ASUU strike, for the kidnap job.

“Roland owned up to his membership of the Confraternity. He hails from Umuezube Umuokrika, Ahiabo Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. A 28-year-old final year student of Political Science at the University of Abuja, he invited Ochuko into the plot, for which they were to be paid N14 million.”

The four suspects confessed to the plot when answering questions from newsmen. The students specifically said it was Alfa, who recruited them to carry out the kidnap of the two ministers, adding that they were to be given N4 millon for logistics and the balance of N10 million after the plot was successfully carried out.

But Alfa denied the allegation of planning and recruiting the students for the kidnap, saying it was the students who brought a proposal on how to kidnap the ministers to him and asked him to finance it.

Although, the SSS were not forthcoming on how they uncovered the plot, Nigerian Tribune gathered that one of the students, who was scared, confided in somebody who later blew the lid on their nefarious plans.

The source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The boys were scared and had to confide in somebody, but our anger is why didn’t they come forward and report to us: It took us time getting them.”

Besides, the SSS lamented that “Alfa, a 58-year-old father, who is supposed to serve as a role model to the younger ones, cajoled them into carrying out the nefarious act, thus capitalising on their seeming frustrations and desperation to go back to school all means.

Ogar added: “This Service will definitely not watch and see undesirable elements take laws into their own hands. The Federal Government is, no doubt, making good efforts to ensure the safety of all law abiding citizens in the country. All stakeholders are invited to partner with the Federal Government in this regard.”

When the Nigerian Tribune sought the reaction of the minister of education through his special assistant on the development, he confirmed that the minister had been briefed of the attempted kidnap on him and his labour colleague.

He said: “Of course, he was surprised on hearing the information, but observed that such has become the case in Nigeria now, that even when one occupied a strategic position in this country, one is not even spared of these kidnap cases.

“It must be the hatch work of some disgruntled elements in the system who don’t want the progress of the nation,”






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pls. some one should notify me of the next Kidnapping Job available, but do note that am only interested in kidnapping the Educational minister Only or better still Yardull

How I wish those SSS guys waited to see if the ALLEGED plot would be successful before nipping it. Hopefully, they would have been too late then those politicians would sit tight. Then again the plot may have been fictitious!