Court remands seven men for ‘kidnapping’ Benue commissioner

A chief magistrate court in Makurdi, the Benue capital, has remanded seven men for their alleged involvement in the kidnap of Ekpe Ogbu, that state’s commissioner of housing and urban development.

TheCable had reported that Ogbu was abducted by gunmen on the evening of December 4, along the Otukpo-Ado road in Ado LGA of the state.

Subsequently, the police arrested 12 suspects, some of whom pleaded guilty to the crime.

Following the development, seven suspects charged with criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of firearms, kidnapping, and terrorism were remanded in the Makurdi correctional centre on Tuesday.

The suspects were listed as Nuhu Musa, Mohammed Danjuma, Yunusa Usman, Abubakar Usman, Usman Saleh, Hamza Sani, and Monday Samuel.

Jonah Uletu, the prosecuting counsel, told the court that the offences contravened the provisions of the Benue Robbery and Firearms Act 2004 and the Abduction, Hostage-taking, Kidnapping, Secret Cult and Similar Activities Prohibition Laws of Benue, 2017.

The suspects were said to be members of a kidnap gang terrorising Benue-south district, while one Beretta pistol was reportedly found on them at the time of arrest.

The prosecuting counsel also said the suspects confessed to the crime during police investigation and that other members of the gang were still at large.

Roseline Iyorshe, the presiding chief magistrate, who did not take the suspects’ plea for want of jurisdiction, referred the case file to the office of director of public prosecution and adjourned the case till February 22.