Photo: the suspects
Breaking: kidnappers/killers of ex-Plateau Gov Dariye’s father confess
The Nigeria Police Force headquarters on Wednesday in Abuja paraded the alleged killers of Pa Defwan Dariye, the 93-year-old father of former governor of Plateau State, Sen. Joshua Dariye.
The suspects have all confessed to committing the crime.
Parading the suspects, Force PRO, CP Frank Mba, said: “The eight members of the criminal gang arrested include Jethron Ngusen, 57 years, from Horop village, who is the mastermind; Sunday Ibrahim, 35 years, from Horop village; Titus Ezikiel, 33 years, from Horop; Ya’u Saidu aka Ya’u Kaban, 40 years, from Kaban village and Dauda Isah, 38 years, from Horop village.
“Others are Mangut Shumuwar, 30 years, from Horop village; Henry Amos, 35 years, from Horop village; all in Mushere district of Bokkos LGA of the state.”
Periscope International recalls that Pa Dariye was allegedly killed by the suspects after his abductors allegedly collected N60 million as ransom part-payment from his family.
The mastermind of the crime and leader of the kidnap gang, Jethro Nguyen, 57, an indigene of Bokkos, in his confession said that he hired ten others including some Fulani herders to successfully abduct the old man from his village and kept him in custody for about ten days before killing him.
Nguyen also said in his confession that he personally gave one of his accomplices the order to kill the old man.
He said he decided to abduct the old man because he was a good target to make money as his son was a one time governor of Plateau State and senator of the Federal Republic.
During their arrest, security operatives from the Federal Investigation Bureau (FIB), the Inspector-General’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and a team of Operation Puff Adder from Abuja had earlier apprehended 8 persons out of a 26-man kidnap gang members who allegedly kidnapped and later killed the victim.
The suspects who had been on the police wanted list, are alleged to have been involved in various cases of armed robbery, gun running and the kidnapping of several citizens of the state in the past five years and had been making fortunes from the kidnapping of innocent citizens, especially in Bokkos LGA and environs.
Prior to the suspects being whisked away to Abuja, police and family sources had told Periscope International that some of the arrested suspects confessed to have masterminded the abduction and eventual killing of Pa Dariye, who they hacked to death after a ransome was paid.
It was also revealed that they killed him because he recognized most of them and he would have revealed their identities if they released him eventually.
Six of the eight arrested suspects are said to be natives of Dariye’s Horop village in Mushere District of Bokkos Local Government Area, while only two are their Fulani accomplices.
Pa Dariye was kidnapped early last year and sources said an initial N60 million Naira ransom was allegedly paid but they didn’t release him, and although there was initial apprehension that he may have been killed, there was no evidence to confirm that until now that his abductors have confessed to having killed him several months ago.
It was gathered that luck ran out of the suspects when they were carrying out one of their criminal activities in some Bokkos communities when, upon receiving credible intelligence, operatives of the FIB-IRT attached to the Operation Puff Adder Base in Kateri Annex, immediately mobilized and proceeded to Bokkos to confront the criminals.
On sighting the security operatives, the criminals were said to have fled in an attempt to escape arrest. The security operatives however went after them and eventually succeeded in arresting 8 of them from their various hideouts.
One of them, Abubakar Mohammed, aka BUBA, is a 23-year-old Fulani native of Gada Biyu Village in Bokkos LGA. He was arrested in Ambar village, Bokkos.
Another suspect, Ya’u Saidu, aka YA’U Kaban, is a 40-year-old Fulani native of Kaban village in Bokkos LGA. He was arrested in Horop in Mushere District of Bokkos LGA.
Titus Ezikiel, one of the suspects, is also a 33-year-old native of Horop, Mushere District and was arrested in Horop village.
Dauda Isah, another suspect, is a 38-year-old native of Horop-Mushere, who too was arrested in Horop village.
Another suspect is Sunday Ibrahim, a 35-year-old native of Horop-Mushere, who was arrested in Horop village.
Also arrested was Mangut Shumuwar, a 30-year-old native of Horop, Mushere District, who was arrested in Horop village.
Henry Amos, a 35-year-old native of Horop, Mushere District, was arrested in Chip village of Pankshin LGA, Plateau State.
Also, the ring leader, Jethro Ngusen, another native of Horop village, was picked up in Jos on the Yakubu Gowon Expressway.
All the 8 arrested suspects are said to have been whisked away to Abuja by the FIB-IRT-Puff Ader squad.
Plateau State Police Command Spokesman, Ubah Ogaba, had confirmed the arrest of the suspects when contacted by our correspondent in Jos, without giving further details about the activities of the criminals and the gruesome murder of Dariye’s father.
Pa Dariye was first abducted in 2015 and was reportedly released after the payment of a humongous ransom.
He was again abducted in June last year and a few days after his abduction, sources said the kidnappers demanded for a N100m ransom, but later hacked him to pieces, despite collecting about N60 million ransom.
