The members of the gang numbering about four were arrested in three locations; Bauchi, Benue and Enugu.
How They Were Arrested
According to police sources who spoke to IPN on conditions of anonymity, based on the express instructions of the IGP on the discovery of the corpse of Father Adeyi in Otukpa, the police intensified efforts to fish the hoodlums responsible for kidnapping and murder.
This search took the police to the nooks and crannies of Nigeria until it yielded fruit with the arrest of Suleiman Gina, the 30 years old leader of the gang, Saidu Abdullahi the 28 years old second in command, 26 years old Aliyu Garba and 27 old years old Haruna Idi in Bauchi, Enugu and Benue States.
As at the time of filing this report, all of the suspects have confessed to the kidnapping and killing of the reverend father. They have also led the police to a bush in Orokam village where they buried the guns used for the operations. The guns have since been recovered.
The phone used for the ransom demand was recovered at Obollo Town , Enugu.
The police also recovered John Adeyi’s Black Nokia Lumia phone from Boto town, Bauchi from one of the suspects.
How Father Adeyi Was Killed
On the fateful morning of April 24, 2016, the venerable Father Adeyi, the Vicar General of Otukpo Diocese, was despatched to Otukpa to mend fences between a priest and his laity.
He was returning to his parish at Okpoga, after completing this assignment, when his vehicle was blocked on the Highway connecting Otukpa to Okpoga, by the four-man gang of gun-toting Fulani Terrorists who yanked him in a cruel manner from his vehicle and ferried him to Ogonokwu Forest Otukpa.
When they discovered the Father had no money on him, he was shot twice by Aliyu Garba. They left his corpse in the forest where it would not be discovered until 22nd June 2016, two months after the Kidnapping.
Demand for Ransom
According to the suspects’ confessional statements, the plan to blackmail the family for ransom was hatched after they had killed the Father. They were able to get in touch with the family through the contacts on the late father’s phone.
Eventually, the family paid N1.7m as a ransom for the return of their son while the hoodlums vanished into thin air.
The suspect who was arrested in Bauchi State had commenced the building of a house from his own share of the ransom collected. They will be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.
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