In an what can be described as blood curdling confessions , an armed robbery suspect, Kwane Matthew, whom the police said had abducted over ten prominent persons in Plateau and Taraba states has admitted making over N20 million from kidnapping.
The suspect, who said rich people are usually afraid to die, admitted abducting two owners of petrol stations in Jos. He said he belonged to so many gangs depending on how much is involved in any operation.
Matthew, who had been on the police wanted list for various kidnap and armed robbery cases, claimed that he recruited two informants – Jordan Laguma and Sunana Douglas, who provided him with useful information about his victims.
The suspect was arrested along with three members of his gang, Sunana Douglas, Jordan Laguma and Namoo Damsu by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) following a public outcry about their operations.
While confessing that his sojourn into the underworld started 12 years ago after he dropped out of school, he claimed that the first trick he pulled after dropping out was stealing a motorcycle belonging to a neighbour.
“I paid dearly for it as I was arrested and sent to jail. I spent eight months in Jos Prison. It was while in prison that I heard that rich people are usually afraid to die. I decided that when I come out, I would use that information to my own advantage.”
The 29-year-old narrated how he joined the robbery/kidnap gang and also gave details of how the gang carried out their operations within Plateau and Taraba states.
“My life took a new turn last year February, when I met one Jagoro Umaru, a Fulani herder, who resides in my community. He asked me to join his robbery gang and I accepted because I had no job after my release from prison. He had eight persons in his gang.
“My first operation with them was when we went to Taraba to rob some traders coming back after selling their cattle. “We attacked them and collected all their money. I got N60,000 from the operation. “I brought the second job; I took the gang to my community to kidnap a rich businessman known as Dipdat”.
“He has two petrol stations. I showed them the house but didn’t go in with them. They took the man away on their motorbikes to a big bush in Bauchi State. Three days later, they gave me N1.5m. I told them about the man who supplied me with information about the victim and they gave him N1m. His name is Jordan.
“In November 2018, I approached Douglas who was close to another rich man in our area known as Dandong. “He also owns two petrol stations. I told Douglas that I wanted the petrol dealer kidnapped. A week later, Douglas called to say that the man was around. “I called in my gang members and we abducted him. “We kept him for three days, and his family paid N15m as ransom before he was freed. I got N2.5m and Douglas got N1.2m.”
Explaining his role, Jordan Laguma, who is married with five children, admitted giving out vital information about the businessman Dipdat.
He said, “After the businessman was kidnapped and eventually released, Matthew sent me N1m through a man I had never met. I regret giving out information about my benefactor to Matthew and Douglas.”
But the 43-year-old Sunana Douglas claimed that he was lured by Matthew into giving out information.
The police said with the arrest of Matthew and his gang members, residents of Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State, can now sleep with both eyes closed. The police said the suspects had been terrorizing residents of Jos in the past three years
