Akwa Ibom State Police Command on Friday paraded a 40-year-old Joy Emmanuel Usenekong, for allegedly masterminding the kidnap of her husband, Emmanuel Usenekong of Ntak Obio Akpa in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of the state.
The suspect, who said she has been married for over twenty years, told journalists at the command’s headquarters that she was forced to arrange the kidnap of her ex-husband due to his failure to own up his marital responsibility of having sex with her and catering for the children.
It was gathered that the kidnappers initially demanded N10 million as a ransom and later reduced it to N2 million which was paid before the police arrested them at the point of sharing.
The suspect further said the husband abandoned her and her children for another woman, explaining that she has been toiling to weed peoples’ farms in the village to make ends meet even as she disclosed that her husband who is well to do had refused to pay her son’s WAEC fees when he was approached.
Her words, “I arranged for my husband’s abduction because for a long time, he had abandoned me with his children. He never cared for his children. I engaged in menial jobs such as weeding in people’s farms to feed his children and pay their school fees.
“One of the children finished from secondary school and I approached my husband to plan how to send the son to learn trade since the father refused to send him to university but my husband shunned me. The major reason I arranged for his kidnapping is that my husband refused to have sex with me and does not take care of me and the children.”
On the amount she received as share of the N2Million loot, the suspect said the kidnappers had not given her anything yet, saying that it was at the point of sharing that the suspected accomplice mentioned her name as the mastermind.
In an interview with newsmen, the husband of the suspect, Mr. Emmanuel Usenekong, narrated that he was kidnapped on July 21, 2022 around 8:30pm in his compound while coming back from where he was receiving treatment.
Usenekong, who deals on building materials, said he never suspected the ex-wife could do such thing to him alleging that it was because of her(ex wife) ‘uncertain’ behaviours that compelled him marry another woman
According to him, “They struggled with me and released two gunshots into the air before they took me out of my compound in a mini bus and drove away. They kept me from that Thursday till Sunday and demanded N10m from me and later reduced it to N2m before the police came that day. If not God, they would have killed me.
“They took me to Etinan where they caged me. I thank the Nigeria Police for the rescue operations. I also thank my Village Head. I don’t know the reason they kidnapped me, they collected N2m from me. The police later recovered over N500,000 from them.”
Parading the suspects and 29 others involved in various crimes, the Commissioner for Police, CP Olatoye Durosinmi warned perpetrators of crimes and criminalities to desist forthwith or relocate from the state saying that he would not leave any stone unturned in fighting crimes in the state.
The statement reads in parts, “On 24th July, 2022 at about 4pm, following a distress call, Police Patrol Team of Etinan Division in conjunction with the Youths met one Emmanuel Sunday Usenekong ‘m’ of Ntak Obio Akpa village in Oruk Anam Local Government Area in a distressed position.
“He reported that on 21st July, 2022 at about 2000hrs while he was at his residence at the above address, a group of boys numbering about six (6) invaded his house with guns and machetes, tied his hands and face, forcefully took him away in a mini bus to an unknown destination. Reaching their camp, they tied him to a chair, blindfolded him and used his mobile phone to call his family members and demanded a ransom of Ten (10) Million Naira, but settled for Two (2) Million Naira which was delivered to them by his wife.
“He further stated that as the suspects were busy sharing the ransom, he managed to lose himself and escaped. A Good Samaritan who saw him with wounds all over his body assisted and called the Police Patrol Team.
“Immediately, the team moved to the scene at Ikot Ebiyak village behind Health Tech, Etinan, on sighting the Police, suspects took to their heels but one Enomfon Etim Jacob ‘m’ was successfully apprehended, with him was the sum of Five Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Five Hundred Naira (₦519,500.00) which was part of the ransom money and phones. The said suspect was transferred to Anti-Kidnapping Squad for further investigation.
“During interrogation he confessed to the crime and indicted one Joy Enomfon Sunday ‘f’, wife of the victim who was sent to deliver the ransom. She was said to have masterminded the kidnap of her husband. After her arrest by the Police, she confessed to the said crime and said she masterminded the kidnap because her husband failed to give her money regularly and did not consummate the marriage sufficiently.”
The Commissioner, however, attributed the achievements made so far to the cooperation of Akwa Ibom people and other sister agencies saying that the cases are at various stages of investigations and the suspects would be charged to court when investigations are completed.
