Dollars flaunted in viral video not mine – Bayelsa kidnap kingpin
John Lyon
Notorious Bayelsa kidnapper, John Lyon, has denied being the owner of the wads of dollars he was flaunting on social media.
Lyon claimed that the hard currency belonged to his gang leader, Emmanuel Angase.
The alleged kidnapper, now identified by police as John Ewa, a 30-year-old male from Akwagom-Eruan Community in Boki LGA of Cross River State, said that he got a paltry sum of N5 million from the N125 million his gang received as ransom in two kidnap incidents.
Further confessing to the crimes while being paraded at the Police Officers Mess in Yenagoa, John claimed that his friends, the kidnap gang, asked him to give them the address of his former boss, Danjuma Omeje and that a few days later, they kidnapped him and collected a ransom of N45 million from him.
He said that after the operation they gave him N1.5 million as assistance to care for the medical bills of his sick mother in the hospital. “I also gave them the address of one Akeem Olushola, who they also kidnapped and collected N80 million as ransom. After that operation, they gave me N3.5 million.”
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Angase, while giving an account of the role he plays for the kidnap gang, accused John Ewa of misleading the public, claiming that he was the one who brought all the kidnap jobs because he was bitter about the bank he used to work sacked him.
“He is lying. We have been caught, so he should just accept that fact and tell the truth. John was the one who brought all the jobs to us. The dollars he flaunted on Facebook belong to him. It is common knowledge that in a gang, the leader is always the richest person because he collects the lion’s share of the ransom.”
Addressing newsmen, the Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, Ben Okolo said “on 8th December 2020, one Akeem Oladele Olushola, 48 years old, a manager of a new generation bank was kidnapped at his residence at old commissioners quarters, Opolo. He was released on the 12th of December after paying a ransom of N80 million.
Similarly, Danjuma Omeje, 41 years old, a manager of a new generation bank in Yenagoa was kidnapped at his residence at Okaka, Yenagoa, on 30th July 2022. He was released on 14th July 2022 after paying a ransom of N60 million, N30 million cash and dollars equivalent to N30 million.
“Operatives of Operation Restore Peace through painstaking investigation arrested the suspects Emmanuel Charles Angase, 37 years, a native of Azuzuama Community, Southern Ijaw LGA, the leader of the kidnapping gang.
“He operates a kidnapping camp at Sunny-Kiri near Oluasiri in Nembe Local Government Area with his second in command, one Gballpre Gamage now at large. Police operatives recovered a brand new Toyota Avalon he bought for is wife with the proceed of ransom he collected.
“The gang leader Emmanuel Angase has confessed that on 30th June 2022 at about 0600 hours, himself, John Ewa and others at large accosted Danjuma Omeje at the entrance of his house in OKaka, kidnapped him and fled in a blue Toyota Corolla car with REG NO KJA 225 AY. They took the victim to his camp at Sunny-kiri, Oluasiri, and released him on 14 July 2022 after collecting a N60 million ransom.
“The suspect also confessed to the kidnap of Akeem Oladele Olusola, a banker and Nancy Keme Dickson, who was kidnapped on 26 December 2015. He also confessed to the kidnap of Chinonso Eze and other Igbo businessmen.”