Adamant-looking housewife, Mrs Joy Emmanuel Sunday, who was arrested by some operatives of Akwa Ibom Police Command for conspiracy in the kidnap of her husband for ransom, has given reasons for her involvement in the crime.
The suspect was among 29 others paraded at the state Police Headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia in Uyo on Friday, September 2 by the State Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durosinmi for committing various offences such as murder, kidnapping, robbery, secret cultism and child theft.
Married in Ntak Obio Akpa Village, Oruk Anam Local Government Area of the state, Joy admitted to have masterminded the crime because her husband denied her conjugal right and abandoned her and the children to their fate without any financial aid.
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According to her, she had been subjected to doing menial jobs to fend for herself and the children since her husband got married to another woman.
In an interview with journalists at the parade, she said, “I consented to my husband’s kidnapping because for a long time he had abandoned me and his children. Even when my father and mothers- in-law were alive, he had abandoned me. He never cared for his children.
“I engaged in menial jobs such as weeding people’s farm to feed his children. I struggled alone to send the children to school. I told my husband that since your first son had sat for West African School Certificate, he should give the boy money to put in for JAMB, but he shunned me.
“But the major reason why I was involved is that my husband refused to have s3x with me and does not take care of me and my children.
‘‘My husband married another woman. When she came in, she even rebukes him for abandoning us. My husband once threw away my pot of soup. He destroyed my plantain and used machete to chase me. Our Village Head even the police in Oruk Anam Local Government Area are aware because I lodged complaint with them.
‘‘However, someone- one Udo Nworji, from my village suggested that since he has abandoned us, he would kidnap and collect money from him for our upkeep. The suspected kidnapper that collected the N2 million ransom never gave me any share and I didn’t even see the money.
“It was when the kidnappers were sharing the N2m that the police arrested them and they mentioned me. They never gave me any part of the ransom collected from my husband. The kidnap kingpin popularly known as Udo Woji (now at large) assured me that he would collect the money from my husband for me since my husband attacked me with matchete and poured my pot of soup.
“So, I agreed with him and he kidnapped my husband. I ran around to gather money to pay the kidnappers. The main suspect, Udo Woji ran away,” Joy recounted.
Recounting his ordeal to journalists, Emmanuel Sunday Usenekong said he was kidnapped on July 21, 2022 in his compound, after returning home following the treatment of an ailment.
He said, “I came back from treatment because I was weak. Around 8.30 p.m, I saw about six people entering my compound. They struggled with me and fired gunshots in my compound.
“They took me out of my compound in a mini bus and drove away. They kept me from that Thursday till Sunday and demanded N10 million ransom from me but later reduced it to N2 million.
“They took me to Etinan where they kept me. My relatives sold my property to pay the ransom for my release. I thank the Nigeria Police for the rescue operations because, if not God, they would have killed me. I also thank my Village Head. I don’t know the reason they kidnapped me. They collected N2 million from me. The police later recovered over N500,000 from them,” Usenekong recalled.
Commissioner’s angle
Later at the press conference, Durosinmi, the State 31st Commissioner of Police, said ”On 24th July, 2022 at about 4 p.m, 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.”
According to him, ”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 Technology, 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 does not consummate the marriage sufficiently,” he stated.
