The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has paraded eight suspects allegedly linked to the kidnap and murder of Defwan Dariye, father of Joshua Dariye, former Governor of Plateau state.
The police spokesman, Fran Mba, stated this on Wednesday during a media briefing in Abuja.
Defwan was abducted in June 2020, after gunmen attacked his house at Bokkos LGA of the Plateau state.
The 93-year-old was killed after his abductors collected N10 million ransom from his family.
According to the force spokesperson, the suspected perpetrators were arrested following operations by the police intelligence response unit and other investigators.
He alleged that the crime was masterminded by one of the suspects, who mobilised others to execute the act.
“Within the last 30 days, the police were able to make tremendous progress that led to the arrest of the eight key suspects that played major roles in the kidnap and murder of the ex-governor’s father,” he said.
“All the suspects, except very few of them, are from the same village in Bokkos Local Government Area with the murdered victim.
“This perhaps explained why they took the very wicked and costly decision of murdering the old man.”
The leader of the kidnap gang, Jethro Nguyen, 53, an indigene of Bokos, said he hired 10 others including some Fulani herders to abduct the old man from his palace, adding that he was kept at their hideout for about 10 days before he was murdered.
Nguyen, who was paraded at the Force headquarters, Abuja, on Wednesday, confessed that he gave a gang member the order to shoot the old man.
He said they abducted the deceased “because he was a good target to make money as his son was a one-time governor of Plateau State and senator of the Federal Republic.”
