Herdsman/kidnapper, reveals he has made N100 million from kidnapping

Herdsman/kidnapper, reveals he has made N100 million from kidnapping

A suspected notorious kidnapper, Muritala Umaru, who was paraded by the Edo State Police Command, has confessed to have made over N100 million from kidnapping.

Among the exhibits seized from the suspect was an AK47 rifle with breech number KO340119 and 10 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. He was said to have been responsible for kidnapping in parts of Edo and neighbouring states.

Umaru said he became a kidnapper four years ago in Okenne, Kogi State and had participated in several kidnapping across Edo State. He said he had cattle, adding that his gang had 10 AK47 rifles with which they carried out kidnapping.

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He said it was somebody he described as a ‘Chief’ from an Edo community who gave them identities of their victims. The kidnapper said they realised N10 million from one of their victims.

He however pledged to cooperate with the police.

On what happened to some of their victims, he said it was his boss that was responsible for the killing of victims who refused to cooperate.

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Umaru said: “I am married. I stay in Auchi, but I was born in Lokoja. I am into kidnapping. I have kidnapped over 50 persons. We kidnapped them when they were travelling. One man gave us target. I collected N3 million in our last operation. It is my boss that kills people. He had killed many people.

We operate in Auchi, Ekpoma, Okenne and other places.

Police Commissioner Babatunde Kokumo described Umaru as a kidnapper who disguised as an herder. According to him, the suspect has been arrested many times and sent to prison on more than one occasion.

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“The man has been in an out of prison. He has kidnapped in Edo and other states. The prison official he kidnapped identified him.”

The herdsman however said he left his cattle to buy food when he was arrested.