Police arrested 8 people in connection with the kidnapping and murder of ex-governor Dariye’s father

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested eight people in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Mr Defwan Dariye, 93, the father of former Plateau Governor Mr Joshua Dariye.

Mr Frank Mba, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), said during a press conference in Abuja that the nonagenarian was kidnapped by the suspects and held incommunicado for eight days in a filthy condition.

He claimed that after a long negotiation, a ransom of N10 million was paid to the kidnappers, and instead of releasing the old man, the kidnappers killed him.

Mba stated that the incident occurred in June 2020, and that detectives from the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and other police detectives discovered the perpetrators after recovering the victim’s body.

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“In the last 30 days, the police were able to make progress that resulted in the arrest of eight key suspects who played major roles in the kidnapping and murder of the ex-father. governor’s

“With the exception of a few, all of the suspects were from the same village in the Bokkos Local Government Area as the murdered victim.

“Perhaps this explains why they chose to murder the old man, which was a very wicked and costly decision,” he speculated.

According to him, the crime was started by the eldest suspect, who identified the victim, recruited men to carry out the operations, and handled the ransom distribution.

After months of intensive monitoring, three suspects were arrested on August 28, 2021, in a border community between Nasarawa and Taraba, according to Mba.

The suspects, he said, were apprehended for illegally procuring, distributing, and selling weapons to end-users, most of whom were criminals, kidnappers, bandits, terrorists, and armed robbers.

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He went on to say that the suspects were apprehended after IRT operatives carried out an intelligence-driven and clinically executed sting operation.

The suspects were found with a total of 26 AK47 magazines, one AK49 rifle and its magazines, and 14 live ammunition for the AK47 rifle, according to Mba.

When the investigation is finished, he said the suspects will be charged in court.