How Police arrest exposed ‘Igbo’ family of 7 as notorious kidnappers inside Yoruba bushes

*Why ethnic profiling of criminals must stop – Activists

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

As The DEFENDER continues it’s work on why ethnic and religious profiling of criminals is not only injurious to the health and peaceful co-existence of the society but also counterproductive to actual development, official and security reports available to us have proved that, although no ethnicity or religion abhours criminality or extra-judicial killings, those in the bushes across Nigeria’s South West and South East, straight to fact, are not outrightly Fulani but largely also Southerners of Yoruba and Igbo extractions, who are kidnappers and killers of farmers and travelers in the parts of the country.

These were coming on the heels of yet abated impression that kidnappers inside the Southern bushes are macenaries carrying out the “Islamisation and Northernisation Agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari” as championed by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and helped hype and spread by media organisations (excluding The DEFENDER).

Our investigations have now been further assisted by available proofs coming from both state, security authorities and independent members of the society revealing the truths of the situation in the country to be one by which some Nigerians, vested with varied ulterior motives, get involved in criminal activities either as sponsored to destabilize the country or as a deliberate engagement for self sustenance, without consideration or regard for ethnicity and religion.

However, much as Muslims, Northerners and government of President Buhari have debunked the CAN-led allegations being widely reported by both local and foreign media to the detriment of national security and integrity, the Christian Association’s leadership and its believers have insisted that the criminalities across the bushes of the South are in fulfilment of the Islamisation and Northernisation Agenda of the ‘Fulani’ President to convert Nigeria to Islamic State and take over the land of other tribes from them.

Although the CAN leaders failed to tell whether, therefore, the same elements inside the bushes of North West and other parts of the North are also doing so to Islamize and Northernize the North, many arrests by the police and armed forces in recent times to date have shown that they are criminals that all Nigerians must treat as common enemies and who must be dealt with as criminals, instead of reading ethnic and religious meanings in ways that many innocent Nigerians have been killed, undeservedly.

This explains why some Northern and Southern Muslim activists were sad upon reading the media report of an Igbo family of seven, who had chosen an Ijebu, Ogun State bush as camp for their kidnap and other criminal activities, like these are not the same media tagging the same criminalities against an entire tribe in a country where every citizen is guaranteed to live and do business anywhere of his or her choice.

They are also sad because they believe that the media report would have screamed “Ogun police arrest Fulani killer herdsmen terrorising Yoruba Land”, if the Igbo family were to be of North. Although not advocating for ethnic and religious profiling of criminals, they are asking the CAN, Southerners and South/Christian dominated media and journalism communities of Nigeria – and demanding answers – as to “why do you like to demonise and criminalise Muslims and Northerners while working hard and harder to impress that those who are corruptly and criminally destroying the country can never be Christians or Southerners?”

In a retort to the report of the ‘Igbo’ family merely reported as “notorious family of seven” and not as “notorious Igbo family” as they would have done if a Northerner was involved, a Muslim and Northern Nigerian, who incidentally is a broadcasting Journalist, said:

“So these are Fulani herdsmen that have been terrorizing south west,??? May Allah continue to disgrace enemies of unity and peaceful co-existence. Aameen.” She said.

Another Muslim but Southern Nigerian was louder saying:

“Can you see the Nigerian media? These seven kidnappers are not called Igbo criminals but they are being addressed by their names. Why can’t they do same for the few criminals among herdsmen?” He asked.

In a statement issued by DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, who is its state public relations officer and sent to The DEFENDER Friday 5 March 2021, the Ogun State Police Command disclosed that its operatives had arrested a family of seven who has been terrorising the state at the Ijebu axis along Shagamu-Ore road side.

According to the police report, it was clear that these criminals, much Igbo or Christians they can claim or appear to be, do not carryout their evil acts in the name of their tribe or religion because, like in the case of these newly paraded, they kidnapped fellow Igbo and fellow Christian for instance Okechukwu Onwubiko. They also kidnapped fellow Southerners of Yoruba extractons namely Omotayo Sobowale, Lamidi Akeem, until 3rd November 2020, these Igbo family of seven still kidnapped a fellow Southerners by name Mrs. Areoye Olufunke, and barely a week after, on 11th November 2020, they also kidnapped fellow Southerners namely Mrs. Adijat Adeleye and Ashaye Olayinka Tobi.

The police statement, with reference: AZ:5310/OGS/PRO/VOL.6/231/ and dated 05/03/2021, said: “A kidnap syndicate made up of members of the same family had been apprehended by operatives of Ogun state police command.

“Sequel to series of kidnap cases within shagamu and its environs in the year 2020, the commissioner of police cp Edward Awolowo Ajogun gave a matching order to the area commander and all the DPO in shagamu to fish out those behind the dastardly act within the shortest possible period.

“In compliance with the cp directive, the Dpo Shagamu division CSP Okiki Agunbiade and his crack detectives with the support of Shagamu security council under Akarigbo of Remo land embarked on intelligence and technical based investigation, which led to the arrest of one Oweniwe Okpara from Delta state and three of his children namely; Samson Okpara, Bright Okpara and Eze Okpara as well as one Christian Ishaha who accommodated them. They were all arrested in Ajaka area of shagamu for their roles in the kidnap of 8 persons at different times in shagamu and other areas.

“In the course of investigation, it was discovered that three other members of the family constituting the criminal gang namely; Godwin Okpara, Godspower Okpara and Mathew Okpara are the armed squad of the syndicate, while Samson, Bright and Eze Okpara were the one spying on their targeted victims.

“One Emmanuel Joseph, a native of Ebele in Edo state was later recruited into the fold, having confronted their sister Eze Okpara to tell him the source of money they used to count everyday. They subsequently opened up to him that they are into kidnap business and he also joined them.

“Among the victims of the gang is one Okechukwu Onwubiko who was kidnapped on the 4th of June 2019. They also kidnapped one Omotayo Sobowale on the 16th of June 2020, while one Lamidi Akeem was abducted by the same gang on the 20th of July 2020.

“On the 3rd of November 2020, the gang kidnapped one Mrs. Areoye Olufunke, and barely a week after, on the 11th of November 2020, they abducted another person one Mrs. Adijat Adeleye and Ashaye Olayinka Tobi was also kidnapped on the 12th of November by this dreaded gang.

“Having heard about the arrest of their father and their 3 siblings, Godwin, Godspower and Mathew Okpara took to flight and ran to Delta state with their operational car and their arms where they were subsequently apprehended by the Delta state police command after carrying out another kidnapping there.

“Their camp located at a forest in Ayepe-ijebu where their father used to farm before converting it to a camp was located by policemen led by the Dpo shagamu and subsequently destroyed. Items recovered at the camp include; three expended cartridges, cooking gas, tarpaulin, cooking utensils, women bags and twine.

“The commissioner of police cp Edward Awolowo Ajogun who expressed satisfaction with the intelligence and painstaking investigation of the detectives has reiterated the stand of the command not to relent in accomplishing the onerous task of providing adequate security for the good people of Ogun state. He therefore appealed for cooperation of the general public in the area of giving useful information that will assist in eliminating criminals from the entire state,” the police said.