Picture: Mikel’s dad: 2 soldiers, 6 others arrested

Posted by admin Headlines, Soccer, Sports Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

Mikel & father, Michael Obi

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

• Suspects arrested in connection with the kidnap of Pa Michael Obi, the father of the Chelsea star, Mikel
Photo: Sun News Publishing

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Two soldiers of the Special Task Force (STF) on the Jos crisis have been identified as having been involved in the kidnap of Pa Michael Obi, father of the Chelsea star, Mikel, even as six others including two women have been arrested.

This is even as Pa Obi said the refusal of the kidnappers to accept anything less than four million dollars had prolonged his captivity until he was later rescued by the combined team of the police from Kano and Plateau states’ police commands; 12 days after he was abducted.

He told journalists at the Plateau State police commissioner’s office that both parties were unable to agree on the ransom until he was rescued.
“The issue of money was what delayed the whole thing. They said my son would give them that amount of money. They said if I die there, my blood would be on my son’s head. The amount was four million dollars (about N600 million).”

“They tried to get my son’s manager. He asked them: “Please where do you think he can get this money. He told them my son was not a printer, even if he was a printer he will labour to get this money.
“He continued to argue with them on the money. He wanted to pay them some money so that they can settle.

“My son made it clear on CNN that those who held his father should say the amount they wanted and he will give it to them.”
He, however, confirmed that they never had direct contact with his son, saying, “they did not have direct contact with Mikel but were contacting him through Tony (his brother).”
He was full of appreciation to the police for rescuing him, noting, “ When I say thanks be to God for saving me from where a human being was tied up and the door locked, I also thank the Plateau State police command and the combined team from Kano, which marvelously saved me. It was marvelous.

“If there is any way of showing the video of what this people did, everybody will know that if this people continue like this, crime will get away from this country. They did wonderfully. Look at him here, (pointing to CSP Ochowechi) he is an actor. If you see how he did yesterday (Monday), you can’t believe it. It was God that gave him the experience to overcome those people. If he had not overcome them, things would still remain as they were. While I thank them, I still say I thank God.”
Narrating what Mikel’s father went through, the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Dipo Ayeni said at about 6pm, when the old man was returning from office in his car, about five military personnel in army colour Hilux pick-up, blocked his vehicle near SSS building on the way to Airforce Base.

He was ordered by the military personnel out of his vehicle and told that the officer in charge of their formation wanted him at their headquarters. Thereafter, he said he was pushed inside the vehicle and driven through the Airforce road to an unknown area in Jos.
Consequently, at the place, a flashy car came with four persons and while he was locked in the Hilux pick-up, the military personnel and the four others strategized on what to do with him.

The police boss said earlier that the old man had been given a beating of his life and could not stand on his feet again. They asked him twice whether he could give them N10 million and he said yes, thereafter he was taken from the military vehicle into the flashy car and driven to unknown destination. He was sandwiched in between two persons, with another two in front. From there, he was driven to Kano with his head bowed throughout the journey.

He said when they got to Kano at about 9pm, the old man was drugged . It was on August 6, 2011 that he regained consciousness and found himself sleeping on a small foam.
It was at that point that one Mr. Ifeanyi Hyacinth asked him to give them $4,000,000,000, which he called a “chicken change” to Mikel Obi and his Club Chelsea.

The CP said for five days, Michael Obi (senior) was not allowed to speak to any of his family members and on the fifth day he was allowed to talk to his son, Tony. The kidnappers instructed him to tell Tony that he had been moved to Lagos and had been shot on the leg; that the leg had started getting rotten.
He said for the first day, he was tortured to get them four mllion dollars.

The police boss gave the name of the six people arrested on Monday in connection with the kidnap as Ifeanyi Hyacinth , Ndubuisi Friday , Basil Chukwuma , Nkechi Osai, Sule Ibrahim (Niger National) and Hajiya Awa Abubakar.
The police commissioner, who gave the name of the two STF Operation Safe Haven members as 96NA/43/1123SGT Victor Essien, 2NA and 03NA/54/5527 PTE Jaduwa Thloma 2BN said police detective led by CSP Ochowechi Salifu from the state Police Command complemented by detectives from the state CID, Kano, stormed the house where Pa Obi was kept at Kabuga BUK Road, Kano and made the arrest .

He assured that the Police Command, in carrying out an exhaustive and coherent investigation, would bring to book all that were involved directly or indirectly in this criminal operation. He commended the Inspector General of Police, IGP Hafiz Ringim, the police personnel and the entire citizens of the state for standing with the command during Pa Obi’s kidnap, for their cooperation.
He said it was the information given to the police that gave it the leverage, strength audacity and professional enterprise to make the rescue a reality.

The state Information Commissioner, Yiljab Abraham, who was at the police command to congratulate Mikel’s father said it was a relief to everyone in the state that he was rescued and this would go a long way to confirm that both government and law enforcement agencies were determined to make the state safe for everyone.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Media, Pam Ayuba said the involvement of the men of the STF had confirmed what the state government had been saying that the STF men could not be absolved in all the attacks going on in the state.

-Sunwp_posts