Vanguard gathered that the other suspect, identified as Godspower Olobele, who is said to be the gang’s informant stationed at Majidun area of Ikorodu, Lagos was arrested during the weekend with the sum of N200,000, said to be his share of the ransom collected for the release of the NTIC schoolgirls and staff.
The suspects were arrested few days after an undisclosed amount was paid as ransom for the schoolgirls and staff to the gang of kidnappers who stormed the school and abducted the victims at night. A ransom of N1.2 billion was initially demanded by the kidnappers, also known to have been terrorizing Lagos and Ogun states. They have been mentioned in several high-profile bank robberies and kidnappings within these states in recent times.
When Vanguard interviewed the suspects, Felicia Weinoh, disclosed that her boy friend, who she identified as Iyenaboh Bandon, a.k.a. American, lured her into the gang. She explained that she wasn’t being paid because her boyfriend was always giving her money.
“American is my boy friend and we have been dating for a long time and he knows that I am a nurse and I am still undergoing training. I used to go into the creeks to treat him and his friends whenever they were sick and last week they called and told me that a woman in their custody was sick and I told them that I was busy but when I went the police arrested me at Majidun waterside,” she told Vanguard.The other suspect, Olobele, disclosed that he was given the sum of N200,000 as his own share after the NTIC kidnapping, adding that he also got N100,000 when three schoolgirls were abducted at Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary in Ikorodu, Lagos, in March 2016.
“It was American who introduced me to the gang. He met me at Majidun where I used to sell firewood and local gin close to the waterside when he came to drink and when he knew I am an Ijaw man, he asked of my sales and I told him I make about N2,000 daily and he told me that it was small. ‘’He then asked me to join him in his business and my job will be simple and easy. Whenever they have victims in their camp I normally supply the food and whenever they want people to enter into their camp they will pass instructions to me. After every business I used to get between N100,000 and N200, 000. ‘’I was given N200,000 after the last job but the police found another N100,000 on me which he gave me for the police towards his wife’s bail.“
Earlier, four suspects, including a militant leader, Philip Joel, also known as General Kakadu, were arrested by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, while a ransom of N1.2 million was recovered from one of them.
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