I’m An Armed Robber, Not Kidnapper, Suspect Clarifies

A suspected kidnapper arrested by operatives of Kaduna police command while he and his gang members were taking a kidnapped victim, Segun Akinyemi from Abuja to Kano State, Chinaza Philip-Okoye has claimed he was an armed robber and not a kidnapper.

The suspect said this on Wednesday during an interview with newsmen at the parade of criminal suspects at the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.

Philip-Okoye was paraded by the Nigeria Police Force last Saturday on a stretcher at the Force Intelligence Response Team base, Guzape, Abuja, having sustained serious injuries after he was shot by police officers following the interception of his gang now at large at a petrol station last Thursday night in Kaduna.

According to him, “I want to categorically state that I’m not a kidnapper, I am not a kidnapper. We only patrol at night and collect cars, and we take them to Kano for sale.

“That night, our aim was to rob the man and take his car, but I was surprised that after we collected his car, Yellow, who is like our leader, asked the man to enter the back of the car. I didn’t know why he did that, and I couldn’t argue with him, so we were driving to Kano before the police caught up with us in Kaduna where I was arrested.”