Court sentences notorious kidnapper to 11 years in prison

The long arm of the law has caught up with an infamous kidnapper, Chief Daniel, who is alleged to have a hand in the spate of kidnappings in Anambra and Delta states.

Okafor, also known as Odogwu Anam, the czar of the criminal gang, was on Wednesday convicted and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment by an Asaba High Court for attempting to kidnap an Asaba-based industrialist, Chief John Ucheche on January 16, 2013.

Okafor, who claimed to be the chairman of a non-existent National Task Force on Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Light Weapons and Monitoring of Oil Pipeline Vandalism, River Niger Operations, gnashed his teeth when the trial judge found him guilty on the charge of conspiracy to commit a felony to wit; kidnapping, punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Law Cap C21 Volume I, Laws of Delta State, 2006.

He was also found guilty on the count of attempted kidnap and was sentenced to a total of 11 years imprisonment with hard labour while he bagged another five years for conspiracy to kidnap and six years for the attempted kidnap of the industrialist.

The crime boss was arrested following the confessional statement of one of the assailants, Mr. Ifeanyi Iwuno, who was said to have later escaped from police custody after his arrest for the attempted kidnap. He confessed to being part of an armed gang that attempted to kidnap Ucheche and fingered Okafor as the mastermind.