The pains and agony of the Idoma people of Benue state were rekindled during the week when the suspected abductors and killers of the Vicar General of Otukpo, Rev Fr John Adeyi opened up on why they ended the earthly journey of the Catholic Priest.
The suspects gave blow-by-blow account on how and why they whisked away the cleric who was on his way from his country home, Otukpa where he had gone to settle a dispute in one of the local churches.
Benue command of the Nigeria police eventually arrested the team of kidnapping syndicate, which masterminded the abduction and murder of Fr Adeyi.
The four members of the gang numbering were picked in three different locations; Bauchi, Benue and Enugu, IPN News is reporting.
A certain Suleiman Gina, 30 is believed to be the kingpin of the killer squad.
His other team members include a 28-year-old Saidu Abdullahi, who is said to be the second in command while Aliyu Garba, 26, Haruna Idi, 26 were also members of the gang that allegedly kidnapped and killed Father Adeyi.
The nemesis
The news portal quoted anonymous police sources as saying that the Inspector General of Police has instructed the state command must intensify efforts to fish the hoodlums responsible for kidnapping and murder of the catholic priest.
This search took the police to the nooks and crannies of Nigeria until it yielded fruit with the arrest Gina and his cohorts.
Interestingly, all suspects had since confessed to the kidnapping and killing of the reverend father. They 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, the report said.
Also, the police recovered John Adeyi’s Black Nokia Lumia phone from Boto town, Bauchi from one of the suspects.
Why they killed Father Adeyi
It was gathered that on the fateful morning of April 24, 2016, the venerable Father Adeyi, the Vicar General of Otukpo Diocese, was dispatched to Otukpa to mend fences between a priest and his laity.
Aliyu Garba, who confessed to have shot Father Adeyi twice
He was returning to his parish at Okpoga, after completing this assignment, when his vehicle was blocked on the Highway connecting Otukpa to Okpoga, by the four-man gang of gun-toting Fulani Terrorists who yanked him in a cruel manner from his vehicle and ferried him to Ogonokwu Forest Otukpa.
When they discovered the Father had no money on him, he was reportedly shot twice by Aliyu Garba. They left his corpse in the forest where it would not be discovered until 22nd June 2016, two months after the Kidnapping.
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
Demand for Ransom
According to the suspects’ confessional statements, the plan to blackmail the family for ransom was hatched after they had killed the Father. They were able to get in touch with the family through the contacts on the late father’s phone.
Eventually, the family paid N1.7m as a ransom for the return of their son while the hoodlums vanished into thin air.
The suspect who was arrested in Bauchi State had commenced the building of a house from his own share of the ransom collected.
When IDOMA VOICE reached the Benue State Police spokesman for comments on Saturday, he simply said, “Investigation into the matter is on. Whatever you heard or read online is unofficial. We will surely keep the public posted as soon as we are done with the investigations.”
For Advert: Call 08171607004, 09058228464 Follow us on Twitter @idomavoice, @idomanews Send us releases at idomavoice@gmail.com
Treasure Orokpo
A multi-talented individual with a passion for diverse fields, Treasure Orokpo is a trained journalist, skilled cook, and AI enthusiast. When she's not uncovering the latest stories, you can find her whipping up culinary creations in the kitchen and entertainment.
