SSS foils plot to kidnap Yar’Adua’s daughter

THE State Security Service on Thursday said it
had foiled a plot to abduct one of the
daughters of late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
The SSS said two suspects, Hamza Abubakar
and Lawrence Okoro, had been arrested in
connection with the foiled kidnap attempt.
Deputy Director, SSS, Public Relations, Ms.
Marilyn Ogar, told newsmen in Abuja that the
two suspects had on August 21,2013
attempted to kidnap the late President’s
daughter at a construction site belonging to
her at the Kado area of the Federal Capital
Territory.
Ogar did not reveal the name of the targeted
ex-President’s daughter.
She said that Abubakar,27; and Okoro, 43
colluded with one Abu Katsina and four others
to plan the abduction.
The four other suspects, according to Ogar,
are Daddy Mohammed, Isa Keteri, Masa’udu
Kateri and another person simply identified as
Ik.
Ogar said that Hamza cultivated the
friendship of Katsina, a security guard at the
late president’s daughter’s construction site,
thus providing him the opportunity to visit
the area regularly.
She said, “Having obtained sufficient
information on the lady, he contacted Dennis,
who was at Owerri at the time. The suspects
had planned to kidnap and detain the woman
at Zuba, in the residence of an acquaintance
of Okoro. However, the SSS operatives, acting
on actionable intelligence, foiled the plot.
“Both Hamza and Dennis and other
collaborators shall be charged to court soon.”
Ogar said that Abubakar was charged with
armed robbery in 2006 and remanded at
Goron Dutse Prison, Kano, till August 9, 2013
before he was granted bail.
She added that Okoro was also charged with
similar offence in 2000 and remanded in the
same prison till March 1, 2013 before being
granted bail.
According to her, the two became friends
while in prison and later reunited in August
2013 after their freedom and subsequently
plotted the kidnap plan.
The SSS also paraded a fake Army General,
Abubakar Sani (65), who allegedly claimed to
be a Special Adviser on Defence to the
President.
Ogar gave the suspect’s real name as Elias
Tyopart Adams, adding that the fake General
also claimed to be a coordinating member of
the National Committee on Flood Relief and
Rehabilitation.
Ogar said the service initiated an investigation
into the activities of the suspect following
complaints received from the management of
Pipeline and Product Marketing Company.
She said that the investigation which led to
Sani’s arrest revealed that the suspect met
with PPMC officials in 2012 and claimed to be
the Special Adviser to the president.
“He told the PPMC officials that he was
directed by the Presidential Villa to facilitate
the speedy supply of DPK through certain
markets located at flooded parts of the
country; he claimed that this was a means to
mitigate the burden of victims of the 2012
national flood disaster.
“Investigation also revealed that Elias had
equally impersonated a former Minister of
Defence and secured up to five lorry loads of
DPK from Warri and Kaduna Depots
respectively,” Ogar explained.
She said that the suspect claimed that he
acted on behalf of the minister and that the
product was meant to be distributed to
Muslims in Takum, Taraba State, for the
celebration of Sallah.
“Suspect used the following business ventures
as fronts to divert petroleum products,
Usmad Ventures, Arung Oils, Bonje Oil and
Gas, and Chavota Oil and Gas,’’ she added.
In an interview, Elias said he got involved in
the act out of frustration, adding that
between January and the time he was
arrested, he had made about N800, 000 from
the fraudulent act.