The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested a 40-year-old housewife, Joy Emmanuel Sunday, for masterminding the abduction of her husband, Emmanuel Sampson Ebong.

Joy admitted to the police that she arranging her husband’s kidnap because he starved her of sex, and also fails to give her money.

She was among 29 suspects paraded by Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durosinmi, for various offences ranging from kidnapping, robbery and child theft.

The kidnappers had demanded N10million ransom, but later reduced it to N2million, which was paid before the police arrested them at the point of sharing the loot.

Joy said she did all sorts of menial jobs to support herself and the children as her husband abandoned her and married another woman.

She added that when one of her child completed his secondary school education, there was no money to send him for further studies.

She said: “I arranged my husband’s kidnap because for a long time, he had abandoned me with his children.

“He had abandoned me even when my father and mother in-laws were alive. He never cared for his children. I engaged in menial jobs such as weeding in people’s farms to feed his children and pay their school fees.

“One of the children finished from secondary school and I approached my husband to plan how to send to learn trade as refused to send him to university, but shunned me.

“The main reason I arranged for his kidnap is because he refused to have sex with me, and also because he doesn’t take care of me and my children.”

Joy, however, said she did not collect her share of the ransom cash before they were arrested by the police.

“The kidnapper that collected the ransom of N2million never gave my share, and I don’t even see the money. It was when the kidnappers were sharing the N2million that the police arrested them and they mentioned me. They never gave me any part of the ransom collected from my husband.

“The kidnap kingpin (now at large) identified as Udo Moji assured me that he would collect the money from my husband for me as my husband attacked me and poured away soup in the pot.

“So, I agreed with him and he kidnapped my husband. I ran around to gather money to pay the kidnappers. The main suspect, Udo Moji, ran away.”

Narrating his ordeal, husband of the suspect, Mr. Emmanuel Sampson Ebong, who hails from Ntak Obio Akpa in Oruk Anam Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, said: “I was kidnapped on July 21, 2022 in my compound. I came back from treatment because I was weak. Around 8.30pm, I saw about six people in my compound. They struggled with me and released two gun shots into the air, and I struggled with them before they took me out of my compound in a mini bus and drove away.

He added: “They kept me from that Thursday till Sunday and demanded N10million from me and later reduced it to N2million before the police came that day. If not for God, they would have killed me.

“They took me to Etinan where they caged me. I thank the Police for the rescue operation. I also thank my Village Head. I don’t know the reason why they kidnapped me; they collected N2million from me. The police later recovered over N500,000 cash from them.

The Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durosinmi, while parading the suspects, vowed that his Command would not leave any stone unturned to ensure that residents of the State sleep with both eyes closed.