A trader at the Timber and Allied Market in Owerri North local government area of Imo State, Ifeanyi Kingsley and two others have been arrested for conspiracy and complicity in the kidnap of one Sabinus Ibe, during which they received ₦2million.
Police spokesperson for Imo State Command, DSP Henry Okoye made the disclosure in a statement yesterday.
The suspects, according to him were Favour Dike, 22 years old; Ifeanyi Kingsley, 30 years old; and Wisdom Chikodi, 31 years old, all arrested on March 18, 2025, following thorough investigations and strategic operations led by the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Owerri.
48 years old Sabinus Ibe was kidnapped on February 22, 2025, at around 8:00pm in Egbu, Owerri and forcibly taken to an undisclosed location until a ransom of two million naira (₦2m) was paid into a Moniepoint account (8213707568).
The PPRO said the account was traced to Favour Dike, one of the kidnap syndicates operated within the Timber market.
However, upon arrest, Favour Dike said he received it based on the instructions of Ifeanyi Kingsley, a trader within the Timber and Allied Market Naze.
PPRO Okoye said, “The victim, Mr. Sabinus Ibe, was abducted on February 22, 2025, at around 8:00 PM in Egbu, Owerri.
He was forcibly taken to an undisclosed location by the kidnappers. The kidnappers then demanded a ransom for his release, which was paid through a POS transaction. The payment was traced to a Moniepoint account (8213707568) operated by one of the suspects, Favour Dike, at the Timber and Allied Market in Owerri North Local Government Area.
“Upon arrest, Favour Dike, admitted to receiving a two million naira ransom payment on the instructions of Ifeanyi Kingsley, a trader in Timber and Allied Market Naze in Owerri. Kingsley later confessed to providing Dike’s POS account details at the request of his friend, Wisdom Chikodi, a member of the kidnapping syndicate. Chikodi, from Umuezuo Ekwereazu in Ahiazu LGA, is believed to have played a significant role in orchestrating the kidnapping.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of Wisdom Chikodi in his hotel room at New Owerri. Chikodi then took operatives to the Old Township Stadium, Tetlow Road, where gang members fled upon seeing the police, abandoning an ash-colored Toyota Camry 2.4 model. A search of the vehicle uncovered two pump-action rifles, one locally made gun, and 18 live cartridges. Several additional arrests were made as operatives pursued the fleeing suspects”.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Imo State Police command, Aboki Danjuma, has reaffirmed the command’s commitment to fighting crime, and assured that efforts are ongoing to nab other fleeing members of the kidnap syndicate.
He said, “The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Police command, Aboki Danjuma, has reaffirmed the command’s commitment to fighting crime. He assured that the suspects will be arraigned in court after the investigation, and efforts are underway to apprehend other members of the syndicate”.
Further, he appealed to the public to report any suspicious activities to the nearest police station.
