The Delta State Police Command has arrested a 50-year-old Italian man identified as Blessing Fernando, who specializes in kidnapping people in the State.
The kidnap kingpin was arrested at Ogbe-Isoko community when he went to collect an additional ransom of N50,000 from the victim’s relatives, having collected N250,000 initially.
Prior to his arrest, the suspect was residing at Evowe Quarters of Ozoro in Isoko North Local Government Area.
The Delta state Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim, paraded the suspect alongside 22 suspected kidnappers at the command headquarters in Asaba yesterday.
Ibrahim said the kidnapping syndicate had terrorised Ozoro and its environs for years.
The CP said, “He was arrested at a scene where he came to collect ransom of additional sum of N50,000 from the victim’s relatives having robbed the victim the sum of N250,000. Effort to arrest other fleeing gang members is on course as case will be charged to court soon.”
However, the Italian suspect who confessed to be a member of the kidnapping syndicate on interrogation added that he was co-opted under duress after he was duped of N600,000.
He said, “They forced me to become their member, if I must get back my money. My desperation to recover my money from them has landed me in this mess.
“They told me to go and wait at the scene where I was arrested for somebody who will bring some money from which they will offset what they had defrauded me.”
Fernando has a Nigerian mother from Isoko while his father was an Italian.
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