Police Parade Kidnap Kingpin, Eight Others in C'River

The Cross River State Police Command has announced that its operatives have arrested an alleged serial kidnapper and eight others for their alleged involvement in committing various crimes in the state.

Parading the nine suspects before journalists in Calabar, the state capital, on Thursday, the state Police Commissioner, Mr. Nekereuwem Akpan, said the alleged serial kidnapper, “one Raphael Nwanakwo Sam, had escaped from the DSS custody sometime in 2018 while he was under investigation.”

The commissioner said the criminal was rearrested on February 20 by men of the state police command based on intelligence report.

He revealed that the suspect is helping with information in the ongoing investigation, adding that the public should be conscious of the new trend use as tactics by kidnappers.

The commissioner said: "What they are doing now is that they would hit your car from behind and you would think it’s just an ordinary accident. But the intention is to get you to park your car and come out. If it is in a convenient place for them, as you step down from your car, you would be kidnapped. If the place is not good for them, they will assess you and begin to trail you. They can hit you the first time, and if there no response, they will follow you, trace you and profile you. When you step out of your car, they want to profile you to know if you are a big fish for them to catch. The public should be guided against that. It’s the new trend. If a car hits you, make sure it is a safe area before you stop to check your car. If not, continue your journey until you get to a safe place. Sometimes they can flag you down and tell you that your tire is down, in order for you to come out to check it.”

He said the police have had top-level security meeting with other security agencies in the state on how to combat crime, and that very soon, new measures will be implemented and the public will notice it.

Responding to questions from journalists, the alleged kidnapping kingpin said one of his friends who is wanted by the police is the actual kidnapper, not him.

He denied being a kidnapper, saying he dissociated from the friend, yet the police arrested him when they could not get his friend.

Another of the suspect paraded, Lawrence Ibiam Ebri from Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River, also denied involvement of what he is accused of.