‘I only identified houses of victims’ — police parade Bayelsa ‘kidnap kingpin’

The Bayelsa police command has paraded John ‘Lyon’ Ewa, the alleged kidnap kingpin who operates in the state.

He was paraded alongside three members of his alleged gang in Yenagoa, the state capital.

Speaking with journalists, Ewa said he is not the leader of the group, adding that he was only paid N1.5 million for showing the kidnappers the houses of victims.

Ewa was said to have been arrested following the kidnap of Danjuma Omeje, a bank manager in Yenagoa, who was said to be his former boss.

Danjuma was reportedly kidnapped on June 30, 2022, and was released after paying millions of naira as ransom.

Speaking during the parade on Monday, Ewa said he is not part of the kidnap syndicate, adding that his mother was in the hospital during the operations.

He however admitted that he was given N1.5 million to identify the houses of victims.

“I’m not part of it [operations], I was misled to show them where this person is. I wasn’t involved in it,” he said.

“I’m not in the business [kidnap], I didn’t approach Danjuma, I only went there to open an account.”

Lyon Ewa also admitted that he was given N3.5 million for his involvement in the kidnap of another victim identified as Hakeem.

“I didn’t play any role in Hakeem’s kidnap, I just showed them his house. We were driving and I pointed to the house. It was my former boss’s house, that was it,” he added.

His alleged accomplice, who was identified as Emmanuel Charles Angase, claimed that Lyon Ewa approached him and other gang members with the proposal to kidnap Hakeem and Danjuma.

“He is lying. I didn’t give him money, it wasn’t me that gave him money. I don’t know those people from anywhere. He is the one that worked with them, I don’t know anything about them,” he said.

“He was the one that brought the Hakeem and Danjuma jobs. If anyone can reason, someone that brought a job would have more money than any other person, so why is he lying?

“He brought the job…. [saying] that they sacked him from work and they have money, so let’s kidnap them. Heaven knows I know nothing about those people.”

Lyon Ewa was said to have been arrested on Saturday in the federal capital territory (FCT).