Banker Turned Kidnap Kingpin: How We Mobilised N140m From Two Targets

A former banker with a new generation bank and leader of a notorious kidnap gang in Bayelsa State, John Ikechukwu Ewa, has narrated how his gang carried out high profile kidnappings in the state.

Ewa, popularly known as John Lyon, who was among the four suspects paraded by Bayelsa State Command of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday, said after resigning from the bank, he engaged in interior decoration business and afterwards went into kidnapping by gathering information about rich people for his gang.

According to him, in the two operations, where he supplied information, “we realized N80 million and N60 million (N30m cash and dollars  worth N30m).”

He said, “I was involved in the kidnapping of Danjuma Omeje, a bank manager. I was not aware of the kidnapping. My gang members told me they had a business together and that I should just tell them where he is staying. Because I was working with him at the bank as a cleaner, I knew where he stays. That was how I led the operation. I left bank work since 2003,” the former banker turned kidnap kingpin said.

“I was just misled in joining the kidnapping. I was given N1.5 million from the $10,000 and the money was handed to me by a member of the gang called ‘Emmanuel’

“I played the role of showing them Danjuma’s house. I did not play any role in Akin’s kidnap. I only showed them his house because he was my former boss and I didn’t know that they were kindnappers.

Another member of the gang, Emmanuel Charles Angase, a 37-year-old native of Azuzuma community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, said he aJunes acted as driver during operations.

He said, “Sometime last year, we carried out an operation but I was not the head. I was not even the one that brought the job, but I happened to be the driver. Then this year, we did a kidnapping job again. Those were the only two operations I was involved in.”

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