A wanted Enugu State-based native doctor, Obi Obieze, was on Wednesday arrested at Gbaji checkpoint along the Badagry-Seme expressway by men of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

More details have emerged on how the wanted and alleged ritualist and kidnapper was arrested. 

Witnesses told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Obieze, also known as Obu Onyeka, was on a commercial Bajaj motorcycle going to Seme to escape when the personnel of NIS Lagos State Border Patrol Command at about 2.00 p.m. arrested him. 

According to the sources, Obieze, a resident of Umuojor village in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, escaped and took a night bus to Mile 2, Lagos, around 10.00 a.m.

“He took a commercial car from Mile 2 to Badagry roundabout, from where he hired a commercial Okada rider to Seme border.

“The commercial motorcyclist had passed the checkpoint of the immigration in Gbaji a little before an officer ordered the rider to stop, recognising the person he was carrying.

“Obieze made an attempt to escape, but he was quickly apprehended by the officers who took him to the command office immediately.

“He was detained at the NIS cell while the controller in charge of Lagos State Border Patrol Command contacted the headquarters of NIS about the arrest,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller General, NIS, Kemi Nandap, had confirmed his arrest.

Nandap confirmed it in a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer (SPRO), Akinsola Akinlabi, on Thursday, in Abuja. 

According to the statement, the NIS Comptroller General said that the suspect had been declared wanted by the Enugu State Police Command.

She said that Obieze, a native of Umuojor village in Ezeagu Council Area, Enugu, and a known traditionalist, was allegedly involved in the abduction of a 13-year-old girl on Tuesday, May 27.

“According to reports, the girl was kidnapped by three men while walking to the farm with her father.

“She was later rescued by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force from a shrine allegedly linked to the suspect. The incident was first reported by a national daily on Wednesday, May 28.

“Acting on credible intelligence, officers of the NIS Lagos State Border Patrol Command apprehended Obieze at the Gbaji checkpoint along the Badagry-Seme Road while he attempted to flee the country on a motorcycle. 

“The suspect was found in possession of a National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) enrolment slip, which confirmed his identity.

“During preliminary questioning, he reportedly confessed to the crimes,” she said.

Nandap, however, said that the NIS was working closely with the Nigeria Police Force to ensure a seamless handover of the suspect for further investigation and prosecution.

She reaffirmed the service commitment to national security and border control, stating that NIS would continue to support law enforcement agencies in the fight against cross-border crimes. (NAN)