The Police in Imo State have arrested a former soldier, Lance Corporal Nwangwu Chiwendu aka Onyearmy, suspected to be involved in kidnapping.
The culprit was apprehended in his hometown of Amaohuru Nguru, Abaoh Mbaise Local Government Area.
The Superintendent of Police (SP) Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa, and his operatives apprehended the alleged kidnapper.
The Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Mr. Mohammed Barde, confirmed that the suspect had been on the Command’s wanted list for four years.
He stated that the suspect, Lance Corporal Nwangwu Chiwendu aka Onyearmy, has been on the wanted list for four years, and that the suspect’s modus operandi consists of guerilla–style operations. According to him, Chiwendu typically launches unexpected terror attacks and then goes into hiding. He continued
He stated that Chiwendu typically sat in a vantage point while his comrades conducted surveillance, and upon spotting police operatives, they fled while engaging them in gunfire.
Barde stated that Anti-Kidnapping agents retaliated skillfully and strategically to prevent bullets from striking innocent bystanders, and eventually caught him together with two injured gang members. He said that others had escaped.
Barde stated, “His accomplishment in the wicked conduct was attributed to the Odeshi charms he wore all over his body.”
He stated that when police searched the suspect’s home, they discovered five pump action firearms, two cut-to-size double barrel guns, four locally produced handguns, fifty rounds of live ammunition, nine locally made hand grenades, ESN regalia, and different charms and rings.
The suspect, Chiwendu, and his gang members, according to CP Barde, were involved in a series of kidnappings and murders.
“On November 4, 2021, the suspect, Chiwendu, and his gang members, Okechuku Duru, kidnapped Jude Nwahiri and demanded N21 million in ransom after killing four people in the victim’s home in Amaohuru Nguru, Mbaise Local Government Area, Imo State.
“On December 25, 2021, the suspect and his group abducted and murdered an indigenous physician in Amaohuru Nguru Uzoimma Ahaiwe. In addition, on December 10, 2021, the same suspect and his gang kidnapped and murdered one of the traditional rulers of Amaohuru Nguru, in the Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, Late Eze Anthony Anyanwu, after collecting millions of naira from his kin. “In February 2022, the same suspect and gang associates burned down the residence and SUV of a Labour Party senatorial candidate, then murdered him,” he recounted.
CP Barde claimed that the same gang members kidnapped and murdered Amaohuru Nguru Aboh Mbaise youth leader Ugochukwu Ohewuike on November 15, 2021.
Barde stated, “Also on November 20, 2021, the gang kidnapped and murdered one Krubo.”
During a conversation, the suspect, Chinwendu, stated that he is from Nwangwu in Aboh, LGA, Imo state.
“This is the end of the road,” he stated. It has concluded. I have abducted and murdered innocent individuals. I joined the Nigerian Army in 2013 and received engineering training in Kaduna State. I became an adept in the manipulation and service of all heavy automatic weapons. I attained the rank of Lance Corporal in the Army before being discharged and joining the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and its military wing, the Eastern Security Network. I eventually became the group’s operational commander and chief trainer.
“I instructed over one thousand IPOB members in armament and terrorist attacks in a camp in the Ogbotoukwu woodland in the Obowu Local Government Area of Imo State.
I have engaged in and led multiple deaths of security officers and attacks on INEC offices, as well as the torching of police stations, murder of innocent people, armed robbery, and kidnapping.”
Oladimeji Odeyeyiwa, commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, stated, “We had to search the suspect Chiwendu’s hideout, where we found three locally made bombs, 19 rounds of live ammunition, 52 live cartridges, 14 teargas canisters, two police handcuffs, four safety desert boots, and various vehicle licence plate numbers. During the attack, we also collected seven police belts and several voter registration cards seized from INEC offices.”
In addition to commending his officers and men, CP Barde thanked the community’s citizens for their support.
He stated that the suspects will shortly be indicted.