CRIME: Imo State police command arrest kidnapper while withdrawing ramson money from ATM

Nwabueze Nicholas Lucky was arrested by the Imo State Police on charges of kidnapping and extortion after he abducted 2-year-old Somtochukwu Olewu on October 27, at his mother's shop located at Zone 4, World Bank Area, New Owerri, Imo State. 

 

Nwabueze had gone to buy something but when he got to the shop, he saw the little boy playing alone outside while his mother was busy inside the shop and he quickly kidnapped him.

 

He demanded a ransom of N500,000 which was paid the next day. He however kept the boy in his custody, hoping to release him immediately after cashing the money. He succeeded in withdrawing only N120,000 through the ATM machine. When the ATM machine didn’t dispense the rest of the money, he was forced to go inside the bank to make a complaint. He was immediately nabbed by the police.

Confirming the arrest, the state command Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Andrew Enwerem said the arrest was made by the operatives of the Anti-kidnapping squad of the command following a tip-off.

 

     "Following a tip-off, the operatives of anti-kidnapping unit of the Command moved into action. That movement produced a positive report, hence the suspect, Lucky Nwabueze, who has confessed to the crime was arrested while the poor boy, Somtochukwu was rescued. The suspect has been helping the police with useful information," Enwerem said.

The suspect confessed to have kidnapped the boy because the boy's father resides in China.

     "I was going to that Zone 4 in the World Bank Area in search of job. Whenever, I felt like eating something, I would go to the boy’s mother shop. Fortunately, on that day, October 27, 2015, the mother of the boy was inside the shop and the boy was coming out of their compound alone. When I did not see anybody, I took the boy away and joined the next commercial tricycle (keke) to the park, where I boarded a bus to Mbaise. I kept the boy in my custody for two days and called his mother, whose number I had before." he stated

     "A day after I abducted the boy, I received an alert of N500, 000 in my account. Hoping to release him immediately I cash the money, I went to my bank with my ATM card. I collected N120, 000 first. After that day, the ATM failed to pay. I went inside the bank to ask why. It was then I was arrested by the police," Nwabueze added.

 

The victim' mother, Mrs. Olewu Ifeoma, an undergraduate revealed that suspect usually comes to her shop to patronise her but that she never knew he had an ulterior motive.

     "I am very grateful to the police. I must sincerely thank the Imo State Commissioner of Police and his men, who rescued my boy," the grateful mother said. "In all, may God Almighty be glorified and may the Lord reward them abundantly,"