The pains and agony of the Idoma people of Benue state were rekindled during the week when the suspected abductors and killers of Rev Fr John Adeyi opened up on why they ended the earthly journey of the Catholic Priest. A four-man kidnapping gang and killers of Reverend Father John Adeyi, the Parish Priest of St. Bernard’s, Okpoga Parish, Diocese of Oturkpo, Benue State, who was abducted on April 24, have finally been arrested by the Nigerian Police Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad attached to the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit at Force Headquarters.
Speaking to journalists when paraded by the security operatives, the deputy leader of the gang, Saidu Abdullahi, who confessed to personally shooting the priest, said he killed the Reverend Father because it was “destined he will kill him that way.”
The gang leader, Suleiman Gina, as well as other menbers, Aliyu Garba and Hartuna Idi when paraded at Force Headquarters on Wednesday, confessed to collecting N1.7 million ransom from the family of the cleric after the Church refused to pay.
Aliyu Garba, who confessed to have shot Father Adeyi twice
When asked why they collected the ransom after killing the victim, Abdullahi said: “It was due to temptation. We killed him because the vigilantes of the town discovered where we were keeping the priest and they were coming in large numbers to free him. That was why we shot him and ran away.”
The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Donald Awunah, who spoke on the arrest of the kidnappers, said:“Following the directive of the Inspector General of Police to fish out the culprits, the Intelligence Response Team swung into action.
“Between September 1 and 4, the four suspects were trailed and arrested at different locations in Bauchi, Enugu and Benue states.
“In the course of investigation, they confessed to being the gang responsible for the kidnap and gruesome murder of Reverend Father Adeyi and still collected a ransom of N1.7 million from his family.
Suleiman Gina, the 30 years old leader of the gang, Saidu Abdullahi the 28 years old second in command, 26 years old
Aliyu Garba and 27 old years old Haruna Idi members of the gang that kidnapped and killed Father Adeyi
“The deputy leader of the gang, Saidu Abdullahi, voluntarily told police that he fired the fatal shot that killed the Reverend Father.
“The suspects led police to a bush in Orokam area of Benue State, where three guns, used for the kidnap operation and murder of the Reverend Father were buried.
“The victim’s Nokia Lumia phone and another black Gicent M9 phone, used in demanding for the ransom, were recovered from the suspects.”
The suspects have also led the police to a bush in Orokam village where they buried the guns used for the operations. The guns have since been recovered. The phone used for the ransom demand was recovered at Obollo Town , Enugu, and the police also recovered Rev. John Adeyi’s Black Nokia Lumia phone from Boto town, Bauchi from one of the suspects.
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