Police Arrest Four for Using Their Bank Accounts to Facilitate Ransom Payments for Kidnappers

The Delta State Police Command on Wednesday apprehended four individuals accused of aiding kidnappers by providing their bank accounts to receive ransom payments. The suspects, identified as Chimerije Joshua Nwakpa and Emmanuel Otubo from Ebonyi State, alongside Eze Levy Onyekachi and Ezemma Maxwell Nnadozie from Enugu State, were paraded at the state police command in Asaba.

The police spokesperson, SP Bright Edafe, detailed the operation, explaining that the suspects colluded with kidnappers by offering their account details for ransom transfers. After the ransom was deposited, the suspects would deduct a commission ranging from 15% to 40% before forwarding the remaining funds to the kidnappers.

“They conspire with kidnappers and facilitate the ransom transactions,” SP Edafe stated. “Once the kidnappers secure a victim and need an account to receive the ransom, they contact these suspects. The suspects then take their commission and send the balance back to the kidnappers.”

During the interrogation, Nwakpa revealed that Nnadozie had approached him to use his account for ransom payments. Ransoms for three victims were funneled through his account, with amounts totaling N3.6 million, N4.3 million, and N200,000. Nwakpa received N530,000 from the first ransom as his 15% share.

Nwakpa admitted to knowing the funds were ransom payments and disclosed that they planned to use their earnings to develop a cryptocurrency website for internet fraud. Nnadozie added that his connection to the kidnappers dated back to childhood, sharing that one of the kidnappers, Ifesi, had reached out in April to request an account number for the ransom.

The suspects would withdraw the remaining ransom money through POS systems before delivering it to the kidnappers. SP Edafe urged Delta State residents to report any suspicious activities or crimes to the police promptly.