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…..I served in Nigerian army for 14 years before my dismissal, kidnapping suspect says
A 34-year-old man, Emmanuel Anthony, who was arrested by the Osun State Police Command for alleged kidnapping, has confessed that he joined the crime after being dismissed from the Nigerian Army.
The suspect, who claimed to have served in the Nigerian Army for over 14 years, admitted that he was court-martialled for misconduct, indiscipline, and insubordination.
He said: “I was arrested on August 30, 2024. David, another dismissed soldier, and I kidnapped a young man who transferred money into an account. David later transferred ₦2 million to my account. The victim didn’t transfer money to me. The military paraphernalia are all mine. I bought the rank and put it on. David brought me for the operation from Ibadan to Esa-Oke in Osun.
“I served in the Nigerian Army for fourteen years, nine months. I went on a foreign mission with the United Nations in 2014 under 35 192 Battalion and went on a mission in the North East. I was court-martialled for misconduct, indiscipline, insubordination, and desertion.
“I was dismissed as a corporal in January. I know I have committed an offence against the military and Nigeria, and I hope I can be forgiven. This will not repeat itself again,” Anthony said.
The police spokesperson in the state, Yemisi Opalola, who paraded the suspects, stated that Anthony and one David Agbebaku had been robbing motorists around Esa-Oke and dispossessing them of their properties.
“Someone reported that unknown gunmen in military uniform came in a Honda Pilot Jeep, waylaid them, and took them into a bush along Ekiti Road. Subsequently, they forced the victim to transfer the sum of ₦3 million from their bank account into a Moniepoint account before they were released.
“Similarly, one Olawumi Oluwaseun and Ishola, both male, were also attacked by the same armed gunmen and robbed of their iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 respectively, valued at ₦1.25 million, before they were also freed.
“Having received this report, detectives from the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, through technical and intelligence analysis, identified the account name as belonging to one David Agbebaku, who was later confirmed to have already been arrested by the police in Oyo State.
“Further analysis led the detectives to the arrest of one Anthony Emmanuel in Ibadan. The suspect confessed to being a dismissed soldier and admitted to conspiring with David and two others, who are also dismissed military men, to carry out the operations on the victims. The suspect was identified by the victims as one of the members of the armed robbery gang that perpetrated the offence,” the police said.
Opalola stated that the suspect would be charged to court as soon as possible.