Two suspected kidnappers, Utubor Uchenna and Felix Ebama, have confessed to collecting N10 million ransom from their last operation before they were arrested.
The suspects confessed on Wednesday while identifying houses where they kept their victims.
Speaking to journalists in Benin, Uchenna and Ebama, who are part of a seven-man gang, admitted to being involved in several kidnapping cases in Edo Central.
Uchenna revealed that their last victim was targeted because of the luxury car he drove. He said the victim was kidnapped alongside a lady, and both were released after paying N10 million ransom.
Uchenna said, “The last operation we did fetched us N10 million ransom. We abducted a man who drove flashy cars, and he was with a lady. They were both kidnapped.
“We are here to identify the house where we keep our victims. We have been involved in several kidnapping operations.”
In a move to tackle crime in the state, the state government on Wednesday began the demolition of houses linked to kidnappers.
The demolition took place in Illeh, Esan West Local Government Area and Uromi, Esan North East Local Government Area.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Akhere Paul, who led the operation, said the action was in line with the anti-kidnapping law recently passed by the Edo State House of Assembly and signed by Governor Monday Okpebholo.
He said, “This house has been used for criminal activities. They keep kidnapped victims here, and dangerous weapons were recovered by the police during a raid.
“According to the new law, any house found to be used for kidnapping activities will be demolished. This will serve as a warning to others.”
Akhere advised landlords to properly profile their tenants before renting out their properties.
He added, “Go to the police station to help you verify the identity of any new tenant. You must know who they are, where they work, and what they do to avoid situations like this.”
He assured the people that the demolition exercise would continue as part of Governor Okpebholo’s effort to rid the state of criminals.
Also speaking, the Commander of the Special Task Force, SP Michael Anetor, said the exercise would discourage others from engaging in kidnapping.
Anetor urged residents to report suspicious activities to the police or members of the task force, adding that a safer Edo is everyone’s responsibility.