THE purported mastermind of the kidnap of novelist cum dramatist, Elechi Amadi, has turned himself in to the Police in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, and denied any role in the abduction.
Twenty-seven-year old Mr. Ndamzi Ekwulo is a law graduate of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt and currently awaiting admission into the Nigerian Law School.
Amadi who is currently the Chairman of the Rivers State Scholarship Board, was kidnapped on Monday night and released the next day after the kidnappers who demanded a N300million ransom from him realised they should not have taken him hostage.
Shortly before turning himself in to the Police yesterday, Ndamzi told The Guardian that the person who mentioned his name as the mastermind of the kidnap, had threatened to deal with him after a bitter altercation over a business transaction.
He explained that one Inemem Nsirim had accused him of plotting the kidnap. The allegation, according to him, stirred irate youths from the community to protest to his family house with the intention to raze it down.
“I left the house and hid in a bush in front of our house. I was there when the mob arrived and started destroying our house. In the end, they left and I called some people to tell them that I wanted to go to see Captain Amadi in his house but was advised against it, so I waited for tempers to cool before the police invited me to come yesterday.
“I want to turn in myself to prove my innocence and I am speaking to you because I want the world to know what happened. I did not run away, I had always wanted to go and meet my foster father and plead my innocence to him,” he said.
Ekwulo who was accompanied by his father, said he opted to report to the police without any prompting, primarily to clear his name and that of his family. He denied any knowledge of the plot to kidnap the writer whom he claimed to be his grandfather’s bosom friend.
He said: “If anyone had suggested to me that we should do anything untoward to Captain Elechi Amadi who is my foster father, having had a thriving relationship with my grandfather for over 60 years, I would have reported to him”.
Ekwulo said his accuser had lent him to fund a contract to supply chipping at a health center under construction in Aluu. He alleged that when the money was paid, Nsirim wanted to collect 70 percent of the money, which led to their disagreement.
“The contract was for the supply of 30 tonnes of chippings for N180, 000 and after the contract, we spent N120, 000 which left N60, 000 profit of which he wanted 70 per cent,” he said.
Ekwulo explained that the youth President of their village called Obed Wecheamu later intervened and made peace between them on 50-50 basis.
“Before then, he had threatened that he was going to show me how an illiterate can deal with a graduate and I do not know if this allegation was how he wanted to deal with me,” Ekwulo said.