The Anti-kidnapping Unit of the Delta State Police Command has recovered the corpse of Hon. Onose Onakpoma, a former councillor in Ethiope East Local Government Area at the Okurekpo bank of a river in the area.
Onakpoma was reported to have been kidnapped, and shot dead last week by a notorious gang of kidnappers operating in the locality.
But the Police Commissioner in the state, Mr. Mahammed Mustafa, who confirmed the recovery of the politician’s corpse to newsmen, said; “The men of the Anti-kidnapping Unit recovered the body of the former councillor by the river bank after a long search. However, most of the perpetrators of the heinous crime, have been apprehended”.
It was gathered that a kidnap-for-ransom network in the forest between Okurekpo and Okuekpagha boundary, carried out a major robbery operation on March 31, 2018 where the armed hoodlums robbed over 21 persons including Onakpoma, before dragging him into the tick forest where he was allegedly killed while trying to escape before the kidnappers called to demand a ransom of N500,000.00.
Speaking to newsmen, the lawmaker representing Ethiope East Constituency, Mr. Evance Ivwurie said; “All efforts to make good on Governor Okowa’s commitment to flush out criminals in the state is gradually paying off. It is unfortunate the councilor was murdered by his abductors, the police are working hard to fish out the suspects, we will do our best to bring to book the culprits”.
It was further learnt that the robbery/kidnap gang had carried out the robbery operation at Okorore near Eku on March 31, 2018 where they robbed over 20 persons, including a couple who were rushing their son to the hospital around 5:30 am on the fateful day. Despite the couple’s passionate appeal to the criminals to have mercy on them, the gang refused, and held them for over an hour, leading to the death of their child.