How arrest of 9 kidnappers in Edo revealed insider collaboration 

By Ozioruva Aliu

EKPOMA—Justin Otene, the young entrepreneur behind the popular ‘Principal Takeout’ fast-food spot, had everything to live for. He had been married just a year. The next morning, he was finally going to dedicate his baby.  

But on that fateful night two weeks ago in the Idumebo area of Ekpoma, the kidnappers came. When the 30-year-old, known as Jusewayne, refused to go quietly into the night, they shot him dead in his own home. He left behind a young widow and a child who would now be dedicated without a father. 

Depressing as it was, his murder was not an anomaly. Across Edo Central, from Etsako East to Akoko-Edo, the same nightmare has played out repeatedly.

In Ubiaja, a young man was kidnapped and killed last year. This year, his younger brother suffered a similar fate. But, last week, the reign of terror hit a concrete wall.  

‘Cow farm’ that was a fortress  

For months, residents of Ubiaja, the headquarters of Esan South- West, lived in perpetual fear. At the centre of their suspicion stood a house owned by one Jerry Okoyomo. It was built like a bunker: high fences that concealed everything inside, unusual traffic at odd hours, and a cover story about a few Fulani herdsmen looking after three cows.  

Locals whispered of drug deals and shady plots. Okoyomo’s own financial habits raised alarms, he allegedly bought property worth millions in physical cash, bypassing the banking system entirely.  

Then, barely 10 days ago, kidnappers struck again in Irrua, the very local government area of Governor Monday Okpebholo. This time, the response was different.  

They did negotiations in his living room  

The governor’s new Edo State Special Security Squad arrested nine suspected kidnappers, mostly Fulani. Under interrogation, the suspects reportedly sang. Their alleged accomplice, they said, was Jerry Okoyomo. 

His home in Ubiaja, the captives claimed, was not a cow farm. It was a command centre. Phone calls were made from there. Ransom figures were decided there. Escape routes were planned within its hidden walls.  

Jubilation over demolition  

Last week, the government reacted with a bulldozer, sparking jubilation as walls came tumbling down.  

In front of a cheering crowd of relieved residents, the state’s earthmoving machines reduced Okoyomo’s fortress to rubble.  

“This house has been a hideout for criminals for a long time. People have been living in fear,” one onlooker said. “We thank Governor Okpebholo for this bold action.”  

Noah Paddy Idemudia, chairman of the Special Security Squad, confirmed the link. “This building was identified during investigations into the recent Irrua kidnapping that led to the arrest of nine suspects,” he said. Preliminary findings showed it was a base for both kidnapping and illegal drug activity.  

Idemudia issued a stern warning to landlords: “Profile your tenants. Negligence provides safe havens for criminals.”  

Kidnappers threatened to shoot me in the breast —Victim  

As the dust settled, a victim of the gang gave a harrowing testimony. She narrated how she was held in the bush, forced to kneel with her hands up, and watching her captors unwrap the packaging from a brand-new gun.  

“They assembled it right in front of me,” she said. “They demanded N10 million. My husband had only N3 million. The yellow one (the fair-complexioned one) had no mercy. He threatened to shoot me in my breast. I begged for my life.”  

One of the arrested suspects, Musa Mohammadu, claimed he was an unwitting pawn, brought from the North under the pretence of a cattle job, only to discover there were no cattle, only conspiracy. 

As for Okoyomo, his denial was narrow. He didn’t fight the demolition. He didn’t deny the criminal ties. He simply insisted he was only selling hard drugs, not kidnapping.

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