Rev
Lord Ojee, 65, aka Nduwusi Kanu, the General Overseer of the Kingdom of God
Conscious Movement International, has been held by police for allegedly
masterminded the kidnapping and murder of the former Chairman of Okigwe Local
Government Area of Imo State, Hon. Godwin Igbo
According
to the Saturday Sun reports, the cleric was said to have hired a gang of
kidnappers for a fee of N2m, out of which he made an initial deposit of N500,000
for the abduction of Igbo over an alleged land dispute and chieftaincy title
of Eze Agu Nechenba 1 of Ikpoeze 1 of
Arondizuogu community in Imo State.
The Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mr
Mohammed Adamu said the former council chief was on a transit to Enugu State on
April 10, 2014 when he was kidnapped, murdered and buried in a shallow grave in
a thick forest at Lokpanta, Abia State.
CP Adamu said he received a petition by the
family of the deceased in May over the kidnap.
The
police boss said in the course of investigations, two suspected kidnappers, one
of them identified as ‘Black’, a cult member of Vicking Confraternity, who
received gunshot injuries confessed before he died that he was part of the gang
that killed the late Igbo and buried him in an Abia forest.
He
went further to say that, on October 15, the Anti-Kidnappers Squad arrested
Udoh Ameachi Oko at Okigwe in Imo State and this also led to the arrest of
Adindu Chukwu a.k.a. Alhaji at Garikki in Okigwe, Imo State. Chukwu was said to
have confessed that it was Lord Ojee, who sent them to kidnap the late Godwin
Igbo with a promise to give them N2m, out of which he gave them N50,000 “for
drinks and welfare.”
This in turn led to the arrest of the General
Overseer of God Conscious Movement International, Rev Lord Ojee at Uratta road
junction, Aba/Port Harcourt road, Aba. All the suspects, the police boss
confirmed, are now at the Anti-Kidnapers Squad’s custody where they have
allegedly confessed to the crime.
In his confession, one of the suspects, Chukwu
a.k.a. Alhaji said:
“Rev Lord Ojee is
my uncle. He is the younger brother to my mother. Rev Lord Ojee comes to the
village, Umulolo Okigwe every month and he had a misunderstanding with the late
Godwin Igbo over 10 years ago over land dispute and the chieftaincy title of “Eze
Agu Nechenba 1 of Ikpo Eze 1 of Arondizuogu community. My uncle, Rev Lord Ojee
approached me and wanted me to organise some boys to kidnap the late Godwin
Igbo to show him that he has power.
I had to meet ‘Black’, one of the leaders of kidnappers who is now late and he
organised five members for the job and that include myself. My uncle promised
to settle us with N2 million if the job was accomplished and he gave me N50,000
for drinks and welfare which we used to enjoy ourselves before we carried out
the operation” , he said.
Chukwu further confessed:
“We went to the
late Godwin Igbo to kidnap him in his village at Ekpa Eze in Aro Ndinuzo –Ogu
in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State around 8.00pm on April 10, 2014.
We took him away and we kept the victim inside a Toyota car and put him in the
boot of the car. He fainted and in the process he died.
We took the corpse of the late Igbo into a thick forest and buried him in a
shallow grave on April 10, 2014. We collected the deceased’s two phones and called
his family members and demanded N2 million ransom. The family members didn’t
know that Igbo was dead. They paid N500,000 to us and two days later, I went to
meet my uncle, Rev Lord Ojee and explained to him that Godwin Igbo was
kidnapped and was dead. The intention of my uncle was not to kill Igbo but to
kidnap him and keep him away but unfortunately he died.
I came to meet my uncle, to collect the N2 million that he promised us. My
uncle insisted that since we have collected N500, 000 from the deceased’s
family that that should be okay for us. My uncle gave me N5,000 for transport.”
Speaking further, Chukwu said:
“My uncle, Ojee
quickly called the elders in the village to Genesis Hotel, Okigwe to hear from
the elders whether they will mention his name or suspected whether he is the
one who killed Godwin Igbo. I have serious quarrel with my uncle for refusing
to pay the N2 million he promised us. I was given N60,000 as a share of the
money we collected from the deceased’s family.”
Another suspect, Udoh Amaechi Oko, who hails
from Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, explained:
“It was Chukwu
who contacted our gang leader, ‘Black’ who is now late, that we should kidnap
Godwin Igbo over a land and chieftaincy dispute with his uncle, Rev Lord Ojee.
We kidnapped the deceased and kept him in the boot of the car. Later, he died.
We called the deceased’s family and demanded N2 million and they paid N500,000
and I was given a share of N80,000”, he said .
In his reaction, Rev Lord Ojee told Saturday
Sun:
“I have been in
ministry for almost 50 years. It is true I had a misunderstanding with the
deceased, Godwin Igbo for over 10 years. I know the suspect, Adindu Chukwu, he
is my elder sister’s son. I heard that Igbo died when they kidnapped him”, he
said.
