Angered by the involvement of soldiers in the kidnapping of football star John Mikel Obi’s father, the Nigerian Army Tuesday vowed to take disciplinary action against those involved, either directly or indirectly. The reaction followed Monday night’s arrest of two Nigerian Army non-commissioned personnel – a Sergeant and Lance Corporal – in connection with the kidnap.
Army spokesman Brig.-Gen. Raphael Isa said the suspects had ridiculed the Army.
The arrested soldiers were apparently serving in the Special Joint Task Force deployed to the troubled city of Jos to keep the peace.
“We view this seriously, especially the mention of special task force operating in jos. The Army will deal seriously with any soldier who will want to throw away the core ethics of this profession by engaging in such criminal activities as kidnapping, robbery and the likes.
‘Based on the information received from Kano State Police command and other sources, two non-commissioners who were mentioned as sources have been arrested about 11:30 yesterday (Monday) night for investigation. They are mere suspects but the military police has been ordered to go into the case,’ Brig.-Gen. Isa said.
Mikel Obi’s father, Michael, was freed unharmed on Monday after 10 days in the hands of those who kidnapped him in Jos.
Some reports said the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 20 million naira (US$125,000), but the Obi family denied the report.
The police said five men in military uniform were arrested when they stormed the hideout of the kidnappers in northern Kano state and freed Michael, who was operating a transport company in Jos before he was abducted.
Kidnapping for ransom is now a common occurrence in Nigeria, but it is rare for soldiers to be linked to the crime.