I’m sober over death of cow I bought with ransom money — Suspected kidnapper

A 23-year-old suspected kidnapper in Edo State has said that his biggest regret after his arrest was the death of a cow he bought with money he collected as ransom.  The suspect, simply identified as Salie, said he also regretted listening to his friends who asked him to join them in kidnapping a farmer. He […]

A 23-year-old suspected kidnapper in Edo State has said that his biggest regret after his arrest was the death of a cow he bought with money he collected as ransom.

 The suspect, simply identified as Salie, said he also regretted listening to his friends who asked him to join them in kidnapping a farmer.

He said the cow died where he was hiding it from his father.

 The suspect, who claimed he was born and raised in Okada community in Ovia South East LGA by a herder father, was paraded alongside 28 other persons by the police command for allegedly involving in various crimes.

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 The suspect, in an interview with journalists, said he joined others to kidnap a cocoa farmer in Ogbese village, Ovia North East LGA, last year, adding that one of them who was arrested after the incident was in prison.

 He explained that, “My friend asked me to join them to show them the road after kidnapping the victim on his farm. We collected a ransom of N2.3m. My share of the money was N300,000 because my role was to show them the road.

“I used N150,000 to buy a small cow, I gave N20,000 to my small friend to buy clothes because he is also working with us to look after cows in Okada town.

 “I also used part of the money to buy medicines for the small cow, while I spent the remaining amount on buying shoes and shirts.”

 He further said he hid the cow with his friend so that his father would not see it and demand to know where he got the money to buy it.

 He added that, “But the cow died, and I was arrested. I regret ever listening to my friends who asked me to join them to kidnap the man.

“I was arrested inside a vehicle during a stop-and-search. Police searched me and found N200,000 in my pocket. I only followed them to kidnap once. I regret my action.”

 The command’s spokesman, SP Chidi, said the suspect would be charged to court soon.