How Police rebuff pressure to share late kidnapper’s cash, assets
The Nigeria Police’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT), an elite crime-busting police squad has rebuffed pressure to share proceeds of kidnapping left behind by one of the kidnap kingpins, Collins Ezenwa.
Mr Ezenwa, was a police corporal, who the Imo State Police Command accused of leading a syndicate of deadly abductors.
He was killed in January, 2018, during an exchange of gunfire along Enugu-Owerri Expressway.
He before he was gunned down had resigned from the police as a corporal on N47,000 a month salary in November 2017. It was after his resignation that he started living ostentatiously and lavishly, drawing huge attention as to his wealth.
The deceased left behind series of properties the police investigations discovered were gotten out of wave fo crimes he visited on the South East and South as evidence showed.
His properties in Abia, Imo and Enugu State which the police traced and have so far discovered are 16, which are said to be worth billions of naira.
Among the proper seized are De-Inglish Hotels and Resort in Enugu, Eight blocks of flats on 21, Edinburgh Road, New Layout, Enugu, a 16 block of flats in Enugu, 12 block of flats in Abia among others. The pressure soon started when the Police, led by a famous police officer, DCP Abba Kyari filed the case in court for final forfeiture of the ill gotten wealth to the government.
Investigations showed that the wife of the deceased crime Lord, Mrs Gift Ezenwa had been arrested and taken to Lagos for interrogation.
She was lodged in a descent Archbishop Vining Memorial Lodge for five days incurring a debt of N50,000 contrary to what the late kidnapper’s wife described as pitiable condition.
The Police IRT under Kyari cleared the bills incurred by Mrs Ezenwa during her stay and saw to her safe departure home.
The allegation that the police collected N50,000 from Mrs Ezenwa before being taken to Lagos was untrue, the police said, “As it is an attempt to blackmail the force.”
According to the information provided by one of the Managers of the hotel, Mr Phillips Rieninwa every one knows how good the hotel is. “It’s a decent hotel with clean environment,” he said on telephone conversation.
“We fed her well. She was accorded all respect and needed attention because she was nursing a baby,” he explained. Further investigation showed that after the interrogation, Mrs Ezenwa together with her lawyer approached DCP Kyari and his team to take N50 million out of the one hundred million naira Mr Ezenwa left behind in addition to choosing six properties of their choice out of the 16 properties including a luxurious hotel worth N220 million.
According to a source, the police were told that since they filed the case in court, they could still withdraw the case for out of court settlement, which could have meant taking N50 million and six houses of their choice respectively. But the police team as headed by the DCP Kyari turned down the offer insisting the law must take its full course. It was at that point Mrs Ezenwa wrote a petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Amnesty International blackmailing the DCP Kyari and his team of certain infractions such as collecting rent from the properties. Investigations at the deceased hotel Enugu showed that the management which the police met on ground was preserved so as to prevent loss of jobs. The manager who Mr Ezenwa employed was allowed to manage the place with instructions to pay regular salaries and ensure he keeps the proceeds appropriately for onward transmission after the conclusion of the case in the court.
The Police investigations also showed that the alleged rent being collected was being carried out by a lawyer to one of the victims of Mr Ezenwa’s kidnapping sting.
According to the lawyer to the victim, Mrr Ozougwu Stanislaus, he was instructed buy his client to collect the rent since the tenants were living free in the house.
The client, Tochukwu Okeke, when approached confirmed that he paid ransom of one million naira to Mr Ezenwa but that he felt there was the need to collect rent with the record of the proceeds to be tendered in court when the need arises.
He clarified that the police was not aware but that he did so in good faith.
The investigations which led to the discovery of the development was sequel to allegations that the police were collecting rents from the seized houses through Zenith Bank accounts with the names Tochukwu Okeke and Ozougwu Stanislaus respectively. It turned out to be untrue that the individuals who engaged in collecting these rents did not inform the police or obtain permission and have clarified that they have the details to be properly tendered when the need arises.
Mr Okeke explained that he was a victim of Mr Ezenwa and his lawyer, Mr Stanislaus agreed that they would tender all necessary documents and accpunt for all proceeds being collected.
Mr Okeke said he paid one million ransom to the late Ezenwa when he was kidnapped, a development his lawyer, Mr Ozougwu corroborated.
Investigations showed that it was not true the police authority under former Inspector General Police, Idris Abubakar did not do anything about the person sent to the police but that IRT was called and the investigative reports were provided.
In the end, the police authority did not see anything untoward in what IRT did hence giving it a clean bill of health with a firm instruction that the case in court be continued.
The police authority discovered there was no rush to even file the case in court in the first place since every month new illegally gotten wealth was being discovered.
It was explained that there was no rush to take the matter to court since thorough investigations must first be conducted.
The police explained that it was taken aback by the allegation that it was coveting and seizing the deceased properties as alleged by both NHRC and Amnesty International.
According investigations, the police have finished their investigations holding in to all relevant reports and documents to tender in court to justify the role the IRT played
Isuma Isuma is an investigative journalist in Abuja. He can be reached on isuma.isuma@gmail.com
Among the proper seized are De-Inglish Hotels and Resort in Enugu, Eight blocks of flats on 21, Edinburgh Road, New Layout, Enugu, a 16 block of flats in Enugu, 12 block of flats in Abia among others. The pressure soon started when the Police, led by a famous police officer, DCP Abba Kyari filed the case in court for final forfeiture of the ill gotten wealth to the government.
Investigations showed that the wife of the deceased crime Lord, Mrs Gift Ezenwa had been arrested and taken to Lagos for interrogation.
She was lodged in a descent Archbishop Vining Memorial Lodge for five days incurring a debt of N50,000 contrary to what the late kidnapper’s wife described as pitiable condition.
The Police IRT under Kyari cleared the bills incurred by Mrs Ezenwa during her stay and saw to her safe departure home.
The allegation that the police collected N50,000 from Mrs Ezenwa before being taken to Lagos was untrue, the police said, “As it is an attempt to blackmail the force.”
According to the information provided by one of the Managers of the hotel, Mr Phillips Rieninwa every one knows how good the hotel is. “It’s a decent hotel with clean environment,” he said on telephone conversation.
“We fed her well. She was accorded all respect and needed attention because she was nursing a baby,” he explained. Further investigation showed that after the interrogation, Mrs Ezenwa together with her lawyer approached DCP Kyari and his team to take N50 million out of the one hundred million naira Mr Ezenwa left behind in addition to choosing six properties of their choice out of the 16 properties including a luxurious hotel worth N220 million.
According to a source, the police were told that since they filed the case in court, they could still withdraw the case for out of court settlement, which could have meant taking N50 million and six houses of their choice respectively. But the police team as headed by the DCP Kyari turned down the offer insisting the law must take its full course. It was at that point Mrs Ezenwa wrote a petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Amnesty International blackmailing the DCP Kyari and his team of certain infractions such as collecting rent from the properties. Investigations at the deceased hotel Enugu showed that the management which the police met on ground was preserved so as to prevent loss of jobs. The manager who Mr Ezenwa employed was allowed to manage the place with instructions to pay regular salaries and ensure he keeps the proceeds appropriately for onward transmission after the conclusion of the case in the court.
The Police investigations also showed that the alleged rent being collected was being carried out by a lawyer to one of the victims of Mr Ezenwa’s kidnapping sting.
According to the lawyer to the victim, Mrr Ozougwu Stanislaus, he was instructed buy his client to collect the rent since the tenants were living free in the house.
The client, Tochukwu Okeke, when approached confirmed that he paid ransom of one million naira to Mr Ezenwa but that he felt there was the need to collect rent with the record of the proceeds to be tendered in court when the need arises.
He clarified that the police was not aware but that he did so in good faith.
The investigations which led to the discovery of the development was sequel to allegations that the police were collecting rents from the seized houses through Zenith Bank accounts with the names Tochukwu Okeke and Ozougwu Stanislaus respectively. It turned out to be untrue that the individuals who engaged in collecting these rents did not inform the police or obtain permission and have clarified that they have the details to be properly tendered when the need arises.
Mr Okeke explained that he was a victim of Mr Ezenwa and his lawyer, Mr Stanislaus agreed that they would tender all necessary documents and accpunt for all proceeds being collected.
Mr Okeke said he paid one million ransom to the late Ezenwa when he was kidnapped, a development his lawyer, Mr Ozougwu corroborated.
Investigations showed that it was not true the police authority under former Inspector General Police, Idris Abubakar did not do anything about the person sent to the police but that IRT was called and the investigative reports were provided.
In the end, the police authority did not see anything untoward in what IRT did hence giving it a clean bill of health with a firm instruction that the case in court be continued.
The police authority discovered there was no rush to even file the case in court in the first place since every month new illegally gotten wealth was being discovered.
It was explained that there was no rush to take the matter to court since thorough investigations must first be conducted.
The police explained that it was taken aback by the allegation that it was coveting and seizing the deceased properties as alleged by both NHRC and Amnesty International.
According investigations, the police have finished their investigations holding in to all relevant reports and documents to tender in court to justify the role the IRT played
Isuma Isuma is an investigative journalist in Abuja. He can be reached on isuma.isuma@gmail.com
