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A 31-year-old man has been arrested by the Delta State Police Command for allegedly attempting to kidnap his aunt.
The suspect, Chukwemeka Destiny, was displayed on Saturday by the command’s spokesman, SP Edafe Bright, who said he had paid N900,000 to people he believed were kidnappers to abduct his aunt. Bright said the crime was a disturbing pattern of violence against those who extend help to others.
“We’ve had cases where workers killed their employer. We’ve had cases where security men killed their bosses just because they want to cut away their jewelry,” he said.
According to SP, he had lived with his aunt from age 5 to 15, then left without contact with the family.
“All of a sudden something just came up to his mind that let me kidnap my auntie who trained me, who saw me through school, and that was what he did,” he said.
Edafe said the suspect made two separate payments to the would-be abductors, an initial deposit of N200,000, followed by a second payment of N700,000. He said the plot was revealed after the men Destiny met to do the job turned out not to be kidnappers. Rather than carry out the abduction, they used him as bait, lured him in and handed him over to the police.
“Unknown to him that the people he contacted were not kidnappers. They rather used him as bait, got him and handed him over to the police, thereby saving the life of his auntie,” SP said.
When Destiny was questioned, he admitted guilt but said he could not explain what led him to target the woman.
“Sincerely speaking to you, I am guilty of what really happened. I don’t know what came over me. I can’t tell,” he said.
The suspect, who said he is married and a father of two, linked his action to the devil, and he said he runs a building materials business, and the money paid to the suspected kidnappers came from his business proceeds.
“Yes sir. It is devil’s work,” he told the police spokesman. I made a deposit of 200,000 at first. Then the next day made a deposit of 700,000 making it 900,000,” he said.
The aunt, who said Destiny is the son of her elder sister, told journalists that she was shocked when she learnt of the plot. She said that after leaving the house at age 15, he had not returned to visit her, even though she sometimes saw him in the neighbourhood.
“I was shocked. Crying,” she said, trying to hold back tears. He just disappeared. Just hanging around the street. But he will not come to our house,” she said.
When asked whether the law should take its course or mercy be shown to her nephew, the woman was definite
“Anything they know to do such people, you should do it to him,” she said.
Bright applauded her, saying it was the attitude citizens needed to adopt.
“People like this, see, without cases where they carry their loved ones, say they just want to kidnap for money, and they end up killing the person. So you should allow the law to take its course,” he stated.
The Delta State Police Command’s Raiders squad is holding the suspect pending further investigation.
