A 28-year-old man, identified simply as Eseoghene Ezekiel Obeje, has been arrested by men of the Delta State Police Command for faking his own kidnap and masterminding the abduction and murder of his sister-in-law, Regina Ogana.
Spokesperson of the command, DSP Bright Edafe, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, August 14, 2023, said the suspect demanded the sum of N500,000 as ransom which was paid for his release.
According to the PPRO, Regina was killed after she was kidnapped alongside her husband (elder brother of the suspect) and her family members.
The sum of N1,300 was paid as ransom for the release of his elder brother and other family members.
The police spokesman said Eseoghene, who is a member of Eiye confraternity, is suspected to have masterminded the kidnap with other accomplices.
DSP Edafe said operatives led stormed Odovie community in Ughelli North Local Government Area and arrested Eseoghene at the same spot where the sum of N1,300 was earlier paid as ransom
“The Command has been investigating the murder of one Regina Ogana ‘f’ who was kidnapped alongside her husband and other members of her family on 02/08/2023,” the statement read.
“The Command received another distress call from the husband of the deceased that one of his brothers Eseoghene Ezekiel Obeje ‘m’ aged 28 made a suspicious call to him that he was kidnapped and that the kidnappers were demanding a ransom of Five Hundred Thousand Naira only (#500,000) and Money was transferred into the said Eseoghene’s account as his ransom,”
“The Commissioner of Police CP Wale Abass gave a marching order to the DPO Oreropke Division to embark on an intelligence-led investigation and ensure that the perpetrators are arrested
“Consequently, on 11/08/2023, at about 1145hrs acting on technically generated information, operatives of the Divisional Anti-Crime Patrol team led by the DPO CSP Paul E. Oboware stormed Odovie community Ughelli North LGA and arrested the said Eseoghene Ezekiel Obeje at the same spot where the sum of One Million Three Hundred Thousand Naira (#1,300,000.00) was earlier paid as ransom for the release of his elder brother and husband of the deceased
“Investigation revealed that the said Eseoghene is a member of Eiye confraternity, he faked his own kidnapped and is also suspected to have masterminded the kidnap of his brother and other family members which led to the death of Regina Ogana. The suspect is in custody and the investigation is ongoing.”
