It’s been
eight months since heavily armed men pretending to be policemen abducted Mr.
Basil Agha from his family compound at Umuofor, Ogberuru in Orlu local
government area of Imo State. Mr. Agha who owns a small scale oil
and gas business in Lagos was picked by the gunmen on October 28, 2016 shortly
after he arrived from Lagos, after which he paid a ransom of N2.6million to no
avail.
Frustrated, family and friends of Mr. Agha are
calling on the Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim to send his special
taskforce on kidnapping to their community and help secure the release of Mr
Agha.
The kidnap
According to an eyewitness, Mr. Agha arrived
in the evening and went round to greet his kinsmen. He was about driving out to
visit his extended family members when three heavily-armed men forced their way
into the compound and demanded to see him. He asked to know who they were, they
showed him a police identity card pretended that they were from the State
Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Owerri. They told him that there was
a petition against him and asked him to join them to the police station.
Family members and guests who were in the
compound tried to stop them but Mr. Agha stopped them and told them to call
their family lawyer. Members of his family and community leaders immediately
mobilised and proceeded to the police headquarters in Owerri only to be told
that none of their men was detailed for such assignment. They combed all the
police divisions and posts in and around the area without any trace of Mr.
Agha.
It was at that point that it dawned on his
family members that the three men who arrested him were actually kidnappers
with fake police identity cards. The family immediately reported the matter at
Orlu divisional police office and some policemen were deployed to investigate
the abduction.
Police immediate investigation revealed that
while the kidnappers were laying ambush for their target, some of the villagers
even offered them drinks while they were making frantic calls to know the exact
compound of their victim. It was gathered that some persons saw when
they drove out of the compound with their victim seated in the middle without
suspecting foul play.
His son who is based in Lagos also engaged the
services of policemen from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Adeniji-Adele, Lagos
to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his father and they
proceeded to Owerri. However, after spending days in Owerri, the
policemen from Federal SARS reportedly advised his son to negotiate with the
kidnappers and get his father released first, before they will carry out their
investigation and left for Lagos.
Negotiation and N2.6m ransom
Luckily, the kidnappers contacted the family
and demanded N10million ransom. The family was able to negotiate and eventually
paid N2.5million on November 10, 2016. The abductors further demanded an extra
N100, 000.00, which they claimed was for his transport fare back to his home
and it was paid.
Since then, the family has not seen Mr Agah.
The abductors have also closed all communication line with the family.
Family sources said while this was going on,
the victim’s son in Lagos was asked to come home (village) by his kinsmen but
he refused for the fear of his safety and wondered why they were making such
request when he had paid the ransom demanded by the kidnappers. He was
suspicious as his uncles were all alive and in the village. His argument was
that if there is any genuine need to see a family member, his uncles should
stand in. He was suspecting that the invitation was a ploy by those behind the
abduction of his father to also pick him up, as reported by sun news.
Family feud
While his release stretches further, the Agha
family members are pointing fingers at one another. Family members
believed that with the style, which the kidnappers used to pick Agha, it must
be an insider’s job. The allegation led one of the victim’s brothers to write a
petition to the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Ikeja, Lagos,
against his nephew, the victim’s son alleging that he wants to kill him and his
family. He specifically highlighted the reason behind the threat to life to be
that he was the one who allegedly arranged with kidnappers to kidnap his
father.
Although police arrested Mr Agha’s son and
interrogated him, they cautioned the family on the need to unite and pray for
the safe return of their father and brother.
According to one of the family members based
in the Lagos, the IGP’s intervention seems to be the only option left. “We had
to report the matter to the Inspector General of Police since that is the only
way cases are solved in this country. He has handed the case over to his special
team who is investigating the matter. We are desperate to know if he is still
alive,” the source said.
Police attempt at arresting kingpin
As soon as the team started investigating,
they discovered information concerning one notorious kidnapper simply identified
as Onyebuchi who has been terrorizing the eastern part of the country
especially Owerri, Aba and Umuahia.
It was revealed that his method of operation
is similar to that of the recently arrested Lagos kidnap kingpin, Evans. He is
also on the wanted list of Imo and Abia State police commands.
The suspect hails from Ezinkwo- Ihioma village
in Orlu, Imo State which happens to be the maternal home of the abducted Basil
Agha.
Attempts to arrest him failed, as he was said
to have mysteriously escaped when detectives who were on his trail invaded his
house. They arrested his wife and took some vital documents which will help
them in investigating the matter.
After detaining the wife for days, they
released her with the condition that she should help police find her husband
while they mount surveillance around the house and the village. It was gathered
that since the invasion, Onyebuchi has not made any attempt to visit the house.
However sources in the village alleged that
Onyebuchi had sneaked into the community several times but disguised as an old
man. He is alleged to have continued to abduct several others despite the raid.
“He comes and goes without any trace. He is known in the community and anytime
he visits someone will disappear. We live in fear and pray every day that
police will pick him up and restore security in the community,” the source
pleaded.
It was gathered that the police after the
failed attempt advised the family to co-operate with the kidnappers and ensure
the safe return of Agha.
According to a police source, the detectives
have suspended investigation on the matter till Mr. Basil Agha is released. “At
this point, we have no lead and the main suspect is on the run. We only pray
and hope that Mr Agha is still alive.”
Family keeps mum
Desperately awaiting Agha’s return, his family
members declined to publicly express their worries for fear that they could be
the next on the list of the kidnappers. His wife, who has since relocated to
their village in Orlu, was overheard raising her voice from an inner room
lamenting the fate of her husband and calling on his abductors to kindly
release him to his family, dead or alive.
A family source who spoke with Saturday
Sun said that they have lost contact with the abductors for several
months. “They are no longer calling us or demanding money. We are scared that
they might have killed him. We need to know if he is still alive, that is why
we are calling on the Inspector General of Police to come to our rescue. This
matter has torn the family apart and those who are based abroad are no longer
interested in coming back home. Everyone is suspecting each other and believes
that if the IGP can send his special team to help investigate this matter; we
will know the fate of our father.”
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