Why we killed American Soldier in Nigeria — Suspects

A seven-man kidnap gang has recounted how an American Soldier was kidnapped and killed in Okigwe area of Imo State in 2017.
The deceased, a Nigerian, who was serving in the US army, identified as Chuks Okebata, was holidaying in Okigwe when he was abducted and killed.
Two Ak-47 rifles and six magazines loaded with 127 live ammunition were recovered from the suspects.
The suspects: Sunday Igwe, alias School Boy, Michael Ahmefula, Oyebuchi Echefule, Ndubusi Isaac, Victor Dagogo, Chima Okoro and John Edet, were arrested last week by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.
In their confessional statement to the police, the suspects admitted being members of a deadly armed robbery and kidnap gang terrorising Imo, Abia and Rivers States.
Schoolboy, who is the leader of the gang, said they never knew that the deceased was an American soldier.
He said: “He tried to disarm me and in the process was killed.
“If we had not killed him, he would have killed us.
“He is strong with tough muscles and the only way to save our lives was to kill him.”
Schoolboy further said they never knew that the deceased had a pistol on him at the time he was kidnapped.
He said: “We bundled him into the booth of our operational vehicle after he was kidnapped.
“We didn’t know who he was.
“While we were heading to our camp where we hope to keep him until ransom is paid, he pulled out his gun and started shooting at us from the booth and the bullet hit me on the leg and the driver on his hand.
“Realising the danger I asked our driver to stop the vehicle.
“As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, we disarmed him.
“He was killed right there on the spot.
“We dumped his body inside a gutter and left.
“I want everyone to understand that I have no intention of killing him but he forced us into doing it.”
Schoolboy, 29, who is a native of Bende Local Government area of Abia State and a secondary school dropout, also narrated how he went into crime.
On his part, Michael Ahamefuna, 28, who is the Second-in-Command of the group and married with two children, said: “I reside in Port Harcourt.
“I am from Abia state.
“I am a trader.
“I met Schoolboy in a smoking joint where we smoke drugs and he used to come and smoke drugs.
“He had injury on his leg then and he took me to his village and we met one KC.
“We formed a kidnapping gang.
“We kidnapped a man who paid us N1.5 million and we went to another business that paid us N15 million.
“We also picked someone in Owerri and we took the person to Itiam in Abia State.
“We got N10 million from two victims, the last one that got us into trouble occurred in October 2018 and we lost our leader in that operation.”