Five suspects who allegedly kidnapped 39-year-old motor parts dealer Smart Nwasheri have confessed to killing him to cover up the crime in Edo State, South-South Nigeria.
The suspects in their confession while being paraded at the Edo State Police Command headquarters said the gang conspired and kidnapped the victim who is a known person to them and collected N200,000 out of N1 million ransom from his family before stabbing him to death in the bush at Oghara in Delta State, South-South Nigeria.
The victim who resided in Benin City got a phone call from his business partners on June 17 to come to Oghara in Delta State to buy vehicle catalyst known streetwise as “indomie”.
He rode to Oghara on his motorbike to meet with his business partners who lured him into a bush and kidnapped him.
They proceeded to call his family demanding N1 million ransom which the family ended up paying N200,000.
Nwasheri never came home despite the ransom payment.
This prompted investigation after the family reported that he was missing and fiive suspects including Goodluck Ojieh, Lucky Enagbonmien, Victory Okoro, Sunday Ernest and Daniel Udi were later arrested. The suspects confessed to have stabbed him to death and buried him in a shallow grave in the bush in Oghara.
Edo State Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye also accused the suspects of dealing on stolen vehicle parts and other items which they mostly sold to the victim and other willing buyers.
The body of the victim has since been exhumed from the shallow grave where he was buried for further investigation.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
