My abductors asked for N100m, I offered N1bn– GUO Motors boss

The Chairman of G. U. O. Motors Limited,
Chief Godwin Okeke, yesterday, commenced his
evidence-in-chief at an Onitsha High Court in
Anambra State, presided over by Justice Chudi
Nwankwo, in respect of his abduction by kidnappers
in Onitsha on Sunday, August 23, 2009.
Okeke who spoke under oath, shortly after the court
granted a motion to file and serve additional prove of
evidence with respect to one of the suspected
kidnappers, Alexander Onyinanya, filed by the
prosecution counsel, Chris Ajugwe with Mrs. N. D.
Wilcox.
Godwin Okeke
He narrated his encounter with the kidnappers at the
All Saints Anglican Church Cathedral, Onitsha when
he went for a Sunday worship with his wife, driver
and some family members.
However, counsel to the first and third accused
persons, O. U. Uduma and J. N. Okongwu, did not
object to the prosecution counsel's motion to file and
serve additional prove of evidence with respect to the
third accused, Onyinanya.
How he was abducted
Led in the evidence by his counsel, Okeke stated that
he went for 7 a.m. service which ended at about 10
a.m, adding that between 10.30 and 11 a.m., his wife
mounted the steering of his Nissan Amanda Spots
Utility Van, SUV, and was driving towards the church
gate when suddenly, gunmen blocked the car with a
bus in front and a Mercedes Benz car at the rear.
Okeke told the court that before he could ask
questions, the gunmen started shooting sporadically,
adding that even though he managed to disarm one
or two of them, they shattered his left leg, over-
powered him, drove away his wife and family
members before bundling him into his SUV and
zoomed off with the abductors' vehicles following.
He further told the court that they passed through
Awka Road and at Limca Road, they met a traffic
gridlock but his abductors shot sporadically into the
air to scare the commuters before they continued
their movement up to Nkpor junction where he said
they met some policemen and exchanged fire with
them.
Two vehicles snatched
He said: "At Umuoji Road, my abductors discovered
that their tyres were deflated during the exchange of
fire with the policemen and they quickly jumped out
of the vehicles, blocked the road, snatched two other
vehicles from their unsuspecting owners and
transferred their arms and ammunition, including 9
AK 47 riffles, rocket launchers, machine guns and a
big Ghana-must-go bag filled with loaded magazines
and live cartridges into the snatched vehicles.
"They continued their journey and drove through
Alor, Adazi-Ani and Adazi-Enu. On getting to
somewhere between Adazi-Enu and Neni
communities in Anaocha Local Government Area of
the state, they drove into a bungalow, rounded up
the occupants, who were mainly children, locked
them up in one of the rooms and kept me inside the
living room.
"I removed my shirt and tied my bleeding leg as part
of measures to control the blood gushing out from
the bullet wound. At a stage, I became thirsty and
requested them to give me water to drink. Two of the
abductors, Emeka Eze and Anthony Ifeanyi Okafor
were with me while others were outside monitoring
movements."
He said the duo with him advised him not to drink
water because of his bullet wound but he insisted on
drinking and eventually they gave him the water
which he drank.
He said: "I overheard those outside asking the
detained children where they kept oil, salt and other
condiments because at that point, they had started
cooking breadfruit meal for lunch.
The third accused was my ex-employee
He said after cooking, they presented the food and he
ate with them. He said among those outside, two of
them, a tall and short one wore masks, adding that
he could discover that the tall one, Alexander
Onyinanya, the third accused with mask was his
former employee
"I could identify Onyinanya because he limps as a
result of an accident he had when he was working for
me. I was the one who paid his hospital bill when he
had the accident.
I offered them N1bn, instead of N100m
"After eating the breadfruit meal, they praised me for
my courage and for accepting their food, unlike other
victims who usually refuse to eat during their
captivity."
He said they now asked him to get ready for
negotiation to which he paid attention.
"They told me that Chief Paul Okonkwor, Managing
Director of Pokobros Group West Africa Limited paid
them N70 million as ransom when they kidnapped
him, while Chief Anthony Enukeme, Managing
Director of Tonimas Oil Limited paid them N80
million during his own time and told me to pay them
N100 million.
"I replied them promptly that Okonkwor and
Enukeme are millionaires, while I am a billionaire,
and offered them N1 billion, instead of N100 million.
"The offer gave them special joy as they now
dropped their weapons by the side, relaxed and
asked me how and when the money would get to
them to which I told them that the money was in the
bank."
At this stage, Justice Nwankwo ordered him to stop
for the day till the next adjourned date.
The court now adjourned the matter to November 14,
26, 27, 28, December 2, 3, 4, 5 and 9, this year for
accelerated hearing and possible dispensation.