Operatives of the Rivers State Police Command have arrested two notorious kidnappers, who allegedly abducted and buried alive a former Community Development Committee Chairman in Kereken-Boue, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, Praise Daakian.
Account to the police, the suspects committed the heinous act despite collecting N200,000 as part of payment for the ransom from the victim’s wife.
Olatunji Disu, the state Commissioner of Police, made this known at his maiden news briefing in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on Monday.
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Disu noted that the suspects confessed to the crime.
“On the day of resumption, I had before me a security deficit in many areas of Rivers State. One of those areas was Khana Local Government, and we immediately deployed tactical units to quell the situation,” the police chief said.
“After concluding intense surveillance on November 15, in separate crack operations, men of the Anti-Cultism Unit arrested Baridapdo Igia, 33, and Elvis Gordon, 26, two suspected armed robbers and kidnappers in Kereken-Boue community of Khana Local Government Area.
“After a series of interrogations, the duo confessed to being leaders of Iceland and Degbam cult groups in Khana Local Government Area, respectively and have been terrorising Khana Local Government Area for the past three years.
“These cult groups have been known to have endless clashes in the community. During interrogations, they also admitted to kidnapping and burying alive one Praise Daakian, a former CDC Chairman in Khana Local Government Area.
”They murdered the victim after collecting the sum of NGN200,000 as part of payment for his ransom from the victim’s wife.
“The duo also confessed to murdering nine other victims from 2021 to 2023 and were the main reason for the partial evacuation of the community within this same period.
“Investigations are still ongoing to uncover the full scale of the suspects’ operations.”
