The eight gunmen who killed Emmanuel Igwe, an official of the INEC Independent Election Commission in Ebonyi state, have been arrested.
Recall that Igwe was killed by suspected kidnappers on the Ishigu-MPU road last Sunday.
They also kidnapped the victim’s wife and massacred the father of the Ohnaizei youth leader, Aga O’Keefor, who was harvesting yams on his farm.
However, Ebonyi State Ivo County Council Chair Emmanuel Ajah has confirmed the arrests of the eight kidnappers.
Ajah, who spoke to newsmen in Abakaliki, the state capital on Sunday, said Agwe’s wife was rescued unharmed after paying ransom to the kidnappers.
He said that with the joint efforts of the security agencies, the kidnappers were traced to their hideout and apprehended.
“The kidnappers who killed the INEC staff last Sunday and abducted his wife and also butchered the father of the Ohaneze youth leader, Ajah Okeafor, have been arrested,” he said.
Ajah added that the kidnappers were seen with Fulani herders and some bad boys from the Lonkpanta community and were followed after receiving the ransom.
“We have not slept since the incident, the kidnappers demanded ransom and we gave it to them.
We followed them to the hideout through the combined efforts of the security agencies and my people.
We have detained eight of them, and we are still looking for the remaining two, who are the main figures in the law,” he added.
He revealed that the arrested suspects are responsible for various kidnapping incidents in the Majlis area, and vowed to mobilize security personnel to raid their hideout to prevent further incidents.
The council urged locals to renounce all links to conspiracy and crime, saying “no one will be spared”, and urged them to provide the police with useful safety information that would enable them to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
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