Dismissed soldier, 11 others arrested for robbery, kidnapping in Benue

The police in Benue State, yesterday, paraded a dismissed Army sergeant for alleged crime bordering on armed robbery and kidnapping. The Commissioner of Police, CP Omololu Bishi, said the dismissed soldier, Terngu Ackaa and his accomplice, Msugh Ako, alias MC Dave, were arrested following a tipoff that they were planning to kidnap two persons in […]

The police in Benue State, yesterday, paraded a dismissed Army sergeant for alleged crime bordering on armed robbery and kidnapping.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Omololu Bishi, said the dismissed soldier, Terngu Ackaa and his accomplice, Msugh Ako, alias MC Dave, were arrested following a tipoff that they were planning to kidnap two persons in Gboko who are related to an America-based surveyor.

Bishi noted that the gang led by Ackaa had previously kidnapped a lady and collected N11 million ransom from her family, stressing that the police deployed necessary intelligence which led to his arrest and that of one of his accomplices while the others are still being trailed.

He said the dismissed soldier formed the gang of kidnappers/armed robbers which terrorised Gboko and Kastina-Ala areas of the state, adding that his (Ackaa’s) main role was to identify people who have money so that his ‘boys’ could  kidnap them.

But in an interview with newsmen, the suspect who admitted he was dismissed from the Nigerian Army, denied being a criminal as he alleged that he was set up by those he failed to mention.

Meanwhile, the suspects’ victim, a lady who spoke from her hospital bed, explained that she was at her shop when three men appeared and forcefully took her away in a car while blindfolded to an unknown destination.

The lady, who refused to mention her name, for her safety, said she only regained her freedom after her husband paid a certain amount of money as ransom for her release.

In a related development, the police also paraded 10 other suspects in connection with various crimes allegedly committed at different locations of the state.

CP Bishi said a total of eight arms were recovered from them alongside 17 live cartridges, four motorcycles, one vehicle and one live ammunition amongst others.

Bishi noted that one of the suspects, Moses Iorha, an indigene of Mase in Gwer LGA of the state, was arrested in connection with a robbery and kidnap case reported to the police on March 6.

He said Iorha and his gang, after robbing the victim of N2.8 million, also shot the victim on the leg and abducted his eight-year-old daughter who they later released after a payment of ransom by the family.

Bishi added that the same gang had robbed another victim in Makurdi metropolis of his vehicle and certain amount of money after they raided his house twice.

He said a Toyota Corolla car stolen from the first victim was recovered in Nasarawa State where it was undergoing body work after its paint was changed while the second victim’s valuable was also recovered from the suspect.

The two victims, who were at the police headquarters, corroborated the police report as they identified the suspect and narrated their ordeal in the hands of the robbers-cum-kidnappers.