CRIME We killed abducted Portuguese out of anger over N.6m ransom – Suspect
The prime suspect in the abduction and killing of a Portuguese construction engineer working with Dangote Construction Company said they killed the expatriate out of anger for failure to get the ransom they demanded.
Hassan Abubakar admitted that they killed their victim, Jose Machada, after about six days in captivity because the N600,000 reportedly offered to them for his release was considered “too small”.
Members of the four-man kidnapping gang allegedly responsible for the abduction and killing were among the 30 suspects paraded yesterday by police in Lokoja for alleged armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism and cattle rustling.
Force spokesman CSP Jimoh Moshood who paraded the suspects at the Kogi State Police Command, said the IGP Special Anti-Crime Task Force and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Kogi Police Command have been working in synergy to tackle the menace of kidnapping along the Lokoja-Ajaokuta-Anyigba, Kabba-Oshokoshoko-Obajana and Auchi-Okene-Lokoja routes.
He identified members of the gang that abducted and killed the expatriate to include Umar Isiaka, Abdulkadir Abubakar, Sanusi Saleh and Abubakar Hassan.
He said following the abduction of the expatriate along Oshokoshoko road on October 23, 2017 and his subsequent killing, operatives of the SARS Kogi Command, led by DSP Babagana Bukar and the DSS swung into action and arrested the suspects.
He said exhibits recovered from them included 11 AK47s, two Beretta pistols, two revolver pistols, 334 AK 47 ammunitions, live cartridges, handsets and some military camouflage uniforms.
Also paraded was one Halti Bello, a suspected kidnapper who allegedly killed a senior staff of Dangote Group, Istifanus Bello, after collecting ransom of N5 million from him for the release of a staff of the company earlier abducted by the suspect and his gang.
Moshood said all the suspects would be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.