Calabar laundry operator in police net for alleged kidnap

The Police Command in Cross River says it has arrested the third suspected member of a kidnapping gang that has been terrorising residents of Calabar.

Supreme News reports that the command’s Anti-Cultism and Kidnapping Squad (ACKS), led by SP Chukwuma Ogini, on Tuesday morning arrested two suspected members of the four-member gang.

The third member, identified as Gabriel James, said to operate a laundry service at Edibe Edibe Street in Calabar South Local Government Area, was apprehended on Tuesday night.

The gang was said to be responsible for the recent abduction of the wife of a popular car dealer in Calabar, simply identified as Mrs. Aliu.

The command’s spokeswoman, SP Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect had made a confessional statement about his role in Aliu’s reported kidnapping.

Ugbo said that the suspect tried to escape when the ACKS men swooped on him.

“He has confessed that he participated in several kidnaps and abductions in the capital city, including that of Aliu.

He also confessed to having received his share of the ransom paid by Aliu’s people via an account that was reportedly provided by the leader of the gang.

“He will be charged to court alongside two others, who were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday,” Ugbo said.