Police in Imo nab 2 soldiers, 1 other for kidnapping

Operatives of the Imo state Police Command have arrested two serving soldiers and a dismissed military officer for kidnapping and for impersonating members of the state joint security task force.

The suspects kidnapped and murdered one Leo Michael Ishaya in Owerri, the state capital on April 3.

Late Ishaya, who hailed from Bogoro Local Government Area in Bauchi state, but resident in Owerri, was allegedly arrested by men who claimed to be members of the state joint task force.

He willingly joined them (suspects) with the intention that they were genuine and was taking him into their custody based on the curfew in the state, unaware that they were kidnappers.

The news of his disappearance got to his friends after another person on the same day, said some army officers arrested and released him after paying N50,000.

According to police sources, some friends of the late Ishaya last Monday, went to the state police headquarters to lodge a complaint, upon which an investigation was activated to track the suspected culprits.

Police spokesman, Mr. Orlando Ikeokwu, who confirmed the incident, said the suspects were arrested and had confessed to the crime, stating that the victim was murdered and his corpse dumped at Oba in Anambra state.

Police authorities informed the family of the deceased on Wednesday, who subsequently, joined the police at the crime scene where the body of the deceased was recovered and deposited at the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.

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According to the police, the suspects after killing Ishaya ran to Makurdi in Benue state with his car, IPhone, clothes, apple wristwatch and emptied his bank account.

“The SARS operatives were able to establish the identity of one of the kidnappers which turned out to be a serving military man and through him, two other gang members were apprehended, with one being a dismissed army man since 2018.

“The dismissed officer was the one who took the SARS operatives to the place where Leo was killed few hours after his kidnap on May 2, where he also disclosed that two of his other team mates used a very big stone to hit Leo on the head after they took everything he had on him and in his bank account,” the police spokesman added.