Police arrest two suspects in connection with Nigerian-Turkish school kidnap

The Nigeria Police have arrested two suspected masterminds of the kidnapping of pupils and staff members of the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges.

Among those arrested were Philip Kakadu, aka General Kakadu, and Romeo Council, otherwise known as Raw

Other suspects were also said to be undergoing screening in connection with the crime.

It was gathered that 29-year-old Kakadu and Council, 40, were picked in Warri, Delta State, by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team, led by ACP Abba Kyari.

DAILY POST reports that gunmen had stormed the NTIC last Friday through a hole dug under the school fence and headed for the female hostel, where three pupils were abducted.

A Turkish teacher, a supervisor, a matron and two intending candidates of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, who worked in the school, were also whisked away by the assailants to an unknown destination.

The kidnappers had contacted the matron’s husband and demanded N100m while the police were under pressure to rescue the victims safely.

Punch quoted police sources as saying that the two masterminds had reportedly confessed to orchestrating the crime, adding that the arrest would mount pressure on the captors to release the victims.

“Council is a native of the Bomadi Local Government Area, Delta State, while Kakadu hails from Warri North LGA of the state. They were arrested on Tuesday and have confessed to orchestrating the kidnapping at the school.

“They also confessed to other kidnappings, including the abduction of the Iba monarch in Lagos, and some Isheri landlords. With their arrest, we believe their boys holding the victims in the creeks would surrender,” the source said.

Kakadu allegedly told the police that five of his boys were among those involved in the NTIC operation.

“Kakadu is based in Lagos. He went to Warri to have fun. That was when operatives swooped on him. Five of his men were part of the gang and he is cooperating with the police,” another source added.

Meanwhile, a senior officer yesterday said that the swampy nature of the creek between Lagos and Ogun states had made it almost impossible for operatives to access the location of the kidnappers in the creeks.