A senior police source in the Enugu State police command told Saharareporters that Divisional Police Officer Sam Chukwu, who is widely regarded as a kingpin of kidnappers in Nigeria’s southeastern states, is on the run.
A senior police source in the Enugu State police command told Saharareporters that Divisional Police Officer Sam Chukwu, who is widely regarded as a kingpin of kidnappers in Nigeria’s southeastern states, is on the run.
Former Inspector General of Police Ogbonna Onovo had ordered Mr. Chukwu’s detention in Abuja for a few weeks. Following his release from detention, Chukwu, whose last post was as the DPO of the Awkunanaw Police Station in the Enugu metropolis, was suspended from the police.
Kidnapped and murdered student: Lotachukwu Ezeudu
Prosecutors in Enugu State have named Mr. Chukwu’s son, Nnaemeka Chukwu, as well as Desmond Chinwuba and Ernest Okeke, as suspects in the kidnap and murder of Lotachukwu (Lota) Ezeudu, a 19-year-old second year accountancy student at the University of Nigeria (Enugu campus). Chinwuba and Okeke, who were sacked from the police, worked closely with the suspended DPO. In fact, some sources said that Nnaemeka Chukwu told his friends that Desmond Chinwuba was his father’s personal assistant.
Both Nnaemeka Chukwu and Ernest Okeke are in prison custody while undergoing trial, but Desmond Chinwuba remains in hiding. A police source told Saharareporters that Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, was Mr. Chinwuba’s last known location. “After going into hiding, Desmond made several calls to DPO Chukwu and his son from Aba,” said the source, adding, “that means that Desmond was probably part of the gang of kidnappers operating in the Aba axis.”
Both Desmond Chinwuba and Ernest Okeke were fired from their police jobs after their arrest on a prior kidnapping and robbery case. Our sources said Mr. Chukwu arranged for their bail and then gave them shelter in his home. With the help of Nnaemeka Chukwu – who was Lotachukwu Ezeudu’s classmate in secondary school – the two former police officers lured Lota to the DPO’s son where they kidnapped and later killed him after his relatives had paid an undisclosed amount in ransom.
Two months ago, prosecutors at the Enugu State Ministry of Justice identified Mr. Chukwu as a suspect in Lota Ezeudu’s kidnap and murder. “We gathered solid evidence implicating him before we sought his arrest,” a source from the ministry told Saharareporters.
Our police source said that Chukwu did not respond to a recent order from the Enugu Police Command to surrender himself to face prosecution. His refusal led to an order for his immediate arrest. But a police source said Mr. Chukwu’s wife, a lawyer, barricaded the entrance to their house when officers arrived to arrest her husband. The police later discovered that Mr. Chukwu is now at large.
Several residents of Enugu have told Saharareporters that the former DPO was a notorious mastermind of kidnapping and other criminal activities. One Enugu-based businessman disclosed that Chukwu was a known associate of Ignatius Nnubia, a rogue businessman and owner of Nowas Petroleum in Enugu. “Chukwu’s bands of kidnappers used to kill the drivers of petrol tankers and to sell the stolen fuel to Chief Nnubia who then shared the profit with DPO Sam Chukwu,” the source said.
Ignatius Nnubia, rogue oil dealer and Sam Chukwu's associate
Nnubia is currently in custody for his role in the kidnap of Francis Edemobi, a younger brother of former Information Minister Dora Akunyili.
A source from Chukwu’s hometown of Aninri in Awgu local government area told Saharareporters that the former DPO was famous for flaunting his ill-gotten wealth. “It’s a shame that the traditional ruler of our town, who should be a custodian of good values, decided to shower Sam Chukwu with chieftaincy titles in recognition of his questionable wealth,” said the source.
A source in the police command revealed that the new Commissioner of Police in Enugu and his deputy “are bent on restoring the dignity of the police force,” adding, “they have made it clear that any officer who tries to dabble in criminal activities will be dealt with.” The officer said it was curious that Mr. Chukwu had spent close to 17 years in the Enugu metropolis without any transfer. “That is highly unusual,” he said.
A police source in Abuja told Saharareporters that Mr. Chukwu may be declared wanted if he continues to defy instructions to surrender himself.
Apart from Chukwu and Desmond Chinwuba, another suspect, Moses Amajor, is also still in hiding. A police source told Saharareporters that they believe that Moses Amajor’s father, Mr. Charles Ifeanyi Amajor, who owns Prosper Hotel in Trans-Ekulu, Enugu, is responsible for shielding his son from prosecutors. “When the police finally capture Moses, his father is likely to be in hot soup for hiding him,” said the officer, adding, “when you hide a criminal, then you are an accomplice in his crime.”
Below: Faces of suspected kidnappers and killers of Lotachukwu:
1.Desmond Chinwuba.jpg)
2. Uche Amajor
Lotachukwu Ezeudu