Education, Labour Ministers Escape Kidnap Plot

Education, Labour ministers escape kidnap plot
Headlines Sep 17, 2009 By Ise-Oluwa Ige
ABUJA — THE State Security Service (SSS) paraded, in Abuja, yesterday, three undergraduates of the University of Abuja and a suspected fraudster who allegedly attempted to kidnap two ministers in order to demand N300 million ransom, and force the Federal Government to sign an agreement with ASUU ending the on-going strike action.


The ministers targeted by the suspects are Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) of the Labour and Productivity Ministry and Dr Sam Egwu of the Education Ministry.

The mastermind and suspected fraudster, Abdallah Alfa (58) told newsmen that he was to offer the undergraduates N4 million after a successful operation.


Dr Sam Egwu of the Education Ministry and Prince Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN) of the Labour and Productivity Ministry
He said they were to be mobilised with N1 million before the operation, while the N3 million balance was to be paid after the assignment.

He however said no kobo had exchanged hands before they were nabbed by the Police.
He said he was also to provide other logistics, like cars, which the boys were to use for the job.

Undergraduate suspects

The University of Abuja undergraduates who also took turns to confess to their alleged role in the kidnap plot are Kingsley Njoku Obi, Aniabor Ochuko (aka Kelly Handsome) and Chilaka Rowland (aka Peace).

Obi (23) is a 400 Level student of political Science at the university; Ochuko (27), a native of Oha Town, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta state is a diploma student of the university while Rowland (28) from Ahiabo Mbaise Local Government of Imo state is a final year student of Political Science of the university.

Although the three undergraduates and self-acclaimed mastermind said they did not have any previous criminal record, one of them, Rowland, had already confessed his membership of Black Axe Confraternity to the SSS.

Leader of the gang, Alfa, who first denied knowledge of the kidnap plot, later told newsmen that he entered into the deal with the undergraduates with the aim of making money and bringing the ongoing ASUU strike to an end. 

He said he had played prominent roles in the past to end ASUU strikes but he did not say what exactly he did.
He said his contributions to the ASUU strikes in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2009 were on record.

Alfa, according to the SSS, hails from Kogi state, had a primary school education but he speaks the Queen’s English.

Although he faltered when he was asked what he was doing for a living, he later told newsmen yesterday that he was a businessman.

But the SSS told newsmen yesterday that their investigations revealed that Alfa is an incurable fraudster given his antecedent.
They said he was linked with a number of 419 cases in the past.

He was bold all through the parade session but he was sweating profusely.

Kidnappers planned to kill Egwu

His accomplices also explained that the agreement between them and their paymaster was to kill Dr Sam Egwu in detention and free Prince Kayode (SAN) after collecting the N300 million ransom.

The Assistant Director, Public Relations of the Service, Marilyn Ogar, who first briefed newsmen yesterday before allowing them to interact with the accused persons said the 58-year old Alfa popularly called the Ambassador who initiated the plot, recruited students for kidnapping assignment under the guise that the kidnapping was meant to end the on-going impasse between the Academic Staff Union of the Universities [ASUU] and the Federal Government.

“The choice of using students for the operation was ostensibly to make the exercise and the subsequent demands appear as if it was geared towards ending the Federal Government and ASUU crisis”, Ogar stated.

She said preliminary investigation showed that the plot was to forcefully end the seemingly unending strike action.

“While three of these are students of the University of Abuja, preliminary investigation showed that the plan was designed to serve as a forceful way of ending the on-going strike action”, Ogar stated.

She also said upon the successful kidnap of the Ministers, Egwu was “to be forced to sign an alleged agreement with ASUU.”

The suspects were also to demand the sum of three hundred million naira from the Federal Government as a precondition for the release of the ministers.

She lamented that instead of an old man like Alfa serving a role model to the younger ones (students), he “cajoled them into embarking on the nefarious act, thus capitalising on their seeming frustrations and desperations to go back to school by all means.”

She advised parents and guardians to monitor their children and wards closely to ensure that they do not fall prey to the likes of Alfa.

“While he (Alfa) hails from Dekina, Kogi state, he claims to be Hausa from Kano”, she pointed out.

She said the essence of the press briefing was to draw the attention of parents to the possibility that Alfa may have recruited other kids in different parts of the country for such criminal acts and to implore them to be vigilant.

She added that the service would hand over the quartet to the police before the close of business for necessary action.

“We have done our bit, we will now hand them over to the police for prosecution”, she stated.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/09/17/education-labour-ministers-escape-kidnap-plot/#comments

Which mistake?

Those guys should have planned the operation properly. The headline, 'Education and Labour ministers have been Kidnapped' would have been wonderful and satisfying.

I am so glad for this incident because it has set a precedent for future kidnaps. Good News.

Is Nigeria a failing state or has it already failed?
Time to give attention to those CIA 2015 docs? They seem to be bang on the money.

wasn't that during the Bush administration?

Isn't Obama changing to Bushs foreign policy?

  Those kidnappers should be executed immediately. Bloody kleptomaniacs!!

Too bad that our students have resorted into kidnap. It seems like kidnap is becoming more and more popular. Lets see if this will push the government to move from its grandstanding on the ASUU strike.   

Nigeria we hail thee!!

As much as I do not support kidnapping and other such criminal acts. I wont have minded that bloated stomached Egwu to have been kidnapped. The stupid fool was on a spending fiesta whilst poor students were at home, chilling and doing nothing.
I am sure more people will be emboldened by this act, next time armed robbers would get him. Then they will start to realise its not just the masses these things affect!

Na Yaradua and Sam Egwu den suppose kidnap, make den bring yaradua come ajegunle for lagos make he spend just 5 days. if he faint make den carry am go to the congested lasuth, if he is lucky make den treat am on the floor  or make den carry am come the hospital wey dey my area at ketu.

Those guy meesup they did not do their home work well. They would have kidnap that foolish sam. Egwu.

God go purnish all those that are not cooperating to call off the strike among the federal government

a lot questions have to be answered. such as
a) what led to the student doing this?
b) what has been done to stop this?
c) is there a loop hole in the polity that they are trying to tap into?
d) which way forward?
e) ETC
a)
without been told you should have known what led the student with the help of their supposed financier to do this; (they are idle and not being utilized properly).
the student are supposed to be in school studying but the reverse is the case, they outside hostling to make ends meet that will never meet. If ends meet it becomes a Cycle no more an end.
the students are tired of being at home and need to get engaged in something that will make them productive,  they went about it the wrong way, but what will they do.
they are being oppressed by the so called ministers and their children.
they cant have basic and good education,  the children of the ministers go outside the country for their studies un-interupted and are sure of a job immediately they come out from school.

b)
nothing has been done to stop this.
None of the so called people in power is interested on the plight of these students. As long as they are not caught in the web its the right thing to do, (keeping silence) until it gets to you.

c)
there are loop holes in the polity that is been tapped into.
this is due to the fact Thai all we have are greedy gluttons that have nothing to offer us Nigerians.

d)
they should stop beating about the bush and face reality.
the earlier the problem is tackled properly without any sentiments attached to it the better for all concerned because it will surely get to us on of this days.

e)
someone else should continue from where i stopped and write more on this issue that is eating our society badly and turning it into A SUPPER FAILED STATE

However,the mastermind of the plot,the alleged fraudster should be castrated for taking advantage of the hapless students,who obviously have been disillusioned by months of idling and wasting away at home

This will send a bad signal to federal government that they cant take Nigerians for granted.

WHAT NAIJA NEEDS NW IS SNIPPERS.PEOPLE WHO COULD JUST STAY FROM THEIR WINDOW CLOSETS IN THEIR BUILDINGS ND SNIPE D HELL OUT OF THESE OBDURATE ND INSALUBRIOUS MINISTERS WHO ARE NT INTERESTD IN D AFFAIRS OF OUR STUDENTS.IF THSE KIDNAPPERs WATCH D WAY JOHN KENNEDY WAS KILLED,ND ADOPT SAME,WE WUNT HAVE PROBLEMS IN THS COUNTRY DEALING WITH RECALCITRANT POLITICIANS.INSTEAD OF TALKING ON ROUND TABLES WHCH WUD LEAD US NOWHERE!!