65-year-old Rev Lord Ojee also known as Nduwusi Kanu is now cooling off in
police cell after being fingered as the mastermind of the kidnap and murder of
the former Chairman of Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, Hon. Godwin
Igbo who was 70-year-old at the time of the incident.
The cleric was said to have hired a gang of kidnappers for a fee of N2m, out of
which he made an initial deposit of N50,000 for the abduction of Igbo over an
alleged land dispute and chieftaincy title
of Eze Agu Nechenba 1 of Ikpoeze 1 of Arondizuogu community in
Imo State.
The operation, which went awry, led to the death of the former council boss
who was thereafter buried in a shallow grave in a thick forest at Lokpanta,
Abia State by his abductors.
Saturday Sun reports that police investigations
into the matter, however, led to the arrest of two of the kidnappers, one of
them, a nephew to Rev Lord Ojee, 22-year-old Adindu Chukwu a.k.a. Alhaji and a
27-year-old Udoh Amaechi Oko who both collected N500,000 as ransom from the
family of the deceased even after he was murdered.
The Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu said the former
council chief was on a transit to Enugu State on April 10, 2014 when he was
kidnapped, murdered and buried in a shallow grave in a thick forest at
Lokpanta, Abia State.
CP Adamu said he received a petition by the family of the deceased in May over
the kidnap. The police boss subsequently transferred the case to the
Anti-Kidnappers Squad to investigate. It was learnt that in the course of
investigations by the Alex Akinlalu-led team, detectives had an encounter with
two suspected kidnappers, one of them identified as ‘Black’, a cult member of
Vicking Confraternity who received gunshot injuries and later died. But before
he died, the police were able to recover two phones of the late Godwin Igbo
from him.
‘Black’ was also said to have confessed before he died that he was part of the
gang that killed the late Igbo and buried him in an Abia forest. On October 15,
the Anti-Kidnappers Squad arrested Udoh Ameachi Oko at Okigwe in Imo State and
this also led to the arrest of Adindu Chukwu a.k.a. Alhaji at Garikki in
Okigwe, Imo State. Chukwu was said to have confessed that it was Lord Ojee, who
sent them to kidnap the late Godwin Igbo with a promise to give them N2m, out
of which he gave them N50,000 “for drinks and welfare.”
This in turn led to the arrest of the General Overseer of God Conscious
Movement International, Rev Lord Ojee at Uratta road junction, Aba/Port Harcourt
road, Aba. All the suspects, the police boss confirmed, are now at the Anti-Kidnapers
Squad’s custody where they have allegedly confessed to the crime.
In his confession, one of the suspects, Chukwu a.k.a. Alhaji said:
the younger brother to my mother. Rev Lord Ojee comes to the village, Umulolo
Okigwe every month and he had a misunderstanding with the late Godwin Igbo over
10 years ago over land dispute and the chieftaincy title of “Eze Agu Nechenba 1
of Ikpo Eze 1 of Arondizuogu community. My uncle, Rev Lord Ojee approached me
and wanted me to organise some boys to kidnap the late Godwin Igbo to show him
that he has power.
is now late and he organised five members for the job and that include myself.
My uncle promised to settle us with N2 million if the job was accomplished and
he gave me N50,000 for drinks and welfare which we used to enjoy ourselves
before we carried out the operation” , he said.
kidnap him in his village at Ekpa Eze in Aro Ndinuzo –Ogu in Okigwe Local
Government Area of Imo State around 8.00pm on April 10, 2014. We took him away
and we kept the victim inside a Toyota car and put him in the boot of the car.
He fainted and in the process he died.
buried him in a shallow grave on April 10, 2014. We collected the deceased’s
two phones and called his family members and demanded N2 million ransom. The
family members didn’t know that Igbo was dead. They paid N500,000 to us and two
days later, I went to meet my uncle, Rev Lord Ojee and explained to him that
Godwin Igbo was kidnapped and was dead. The intention of my uncle was not to
kill Igbo but to kidnap him and keep him away but unfortunately he died.
promised us. My uncle insisted that since we have collected N500, 000 from the
deceased’s family that that should be okay for us. My uncle gave me N5,000 for
transport.”
elders in the village to Genesis Hotel, Okigwe to hear from the elders whether
they will mention his name or suspected whether he is the one who killed Godwin
Igbo. I have serious quarrel with my uncle for refusing to pay the N2 million
he promised us. I was given N60,000 as a share of the money we collected from
the deceased’s family.”
who hails from Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, explained:
gang leader, ‘Black’ who is now late, that we should kidnap Godwin Igbo over a
land and chieftaincy dispute with his uncle, Rev Lord Ojee. We kidnapped the
deceased and kept him in the boot of the car. Later, he died. We called the
deceased’s family and demanded N2 million and they paid N500,000 and I was
given a share of N80,000”, he said .
Saturday Sun:
50 years. It is true I had a misunderstanding with the deceased, Godwin Igbo
for over 10 years. I know the suspect, Adindu Chukwu, he is my elder sister’s
son. I heard that Igbo died when they kidnapped him”, he said.
suspects would soon be charged to court, saying the police had already gone to
the scene of the crime to exhume the corpse of Godwin Igbo.