Father of 9 arrested with15 rifle's
By Patience Ogbo
By Patience Ogbo
A suspected kidnapper, armed robber and political thug, Zakeri Yua Isiaka, who has been allegedly terrorising residents in Kofi state has been arrested by the police.
Luck ran out of the suspect when he was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special, IRT, penultimate Sunday, on the Okene- Akure Highway.
The police recovered 15 assault rifles including an Ak47 rifle which was snatched from the police during an encounter with the gang including several magazines and ammunition were recovered from the suspect police sources said
Luck ran out of the suspect when he was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special, IRT, penultimate Sunday, on the Okene- Akure Highway.
The police recovered 15 assault rifles including an Ak47 rifle which was snatched from the police during an encounter with the gang including several magazines and ammunition were recovered from the suspect police sources said
It was gathered that in July 2016, Zakeria and some of his boys attacked a team of Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team operatives who were in kogi State to rescue a middle-aged man Edward Abutu Amedu, who was kidnapped and was being held in a camp controlled by Zakeri. It was gathered that two of his boys, were arrested from their hideouts at the outskirt of Egume and Anyingba Towns in Kogi .
Saturday Mirror gathered that policemen attached to the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team On Sunday, October 23, 2016, the search for Zekari paid off as he was trailed by the IRT and was arrested on Okene – Akure High way, while on his way to Akure Ondo State.
According to him; “ I am names are Zakeri Isiaka, 30-year-old, Odu-Ochelle Village in Dekina LGA of Kogi State, I married to nine wives and 15 children. I am a secondary school dropout and I went into farming at after I left school. I farmed at Isenyi in Oyo State for about eight years before I went to Portharcourt Rivers State and joined the Ateke Tom’s camp of the Niger Delta Militant.
When I got to Portharcourt I was squatting with a boy from my home and I had no job, then I started visiting an indian helm joints to smoke and I discovered that the people coming to that joints were mainly into oil bunkering. I told them that I wanted to join them and they started beating me. They thought I was an informant, I was beaten for one week before a guy who identified himself as an Ateke-Tom’s boy, took interest me then he allowed me to join them. They thought me how to handle fire arms and we did lots of oil bunkering and I was making close to N3million on each trip. After I made my money I came to Abuja and settled down. I built a house and then I went into car dealership. I was buying and selling cars. I also came back with three guns and I kept them in the village. Because at that time the siting governor had given guns to all the thugs in my state and since they had killed my blood brothers, I thought it wise to have my own guns to as to protect myself with it. In that election I was protect ballot boxes from thugs to carry it. When Captain Idris Wada and Prince Audu contested in 2011 elections, I went back home and still protected the votes of my people. I made sure I used my guns to prevent my peoples vote from being subverted one of my friends was even killed in the process. After that election, I came back to Abuja, went back to my business, and I bought motorcycle for people to ride. I was also married to three wives, then. Before the 2015 election PDP and APC thugs had a fight and I came back home and fourth for APC and I defeated the PDP. It was then that it became obvious to my APC party men that I have become a very powerful thug. When the 2015 election campaign started Prince Audu gave me N30million to work for them in the presidential election. We worked for them and they won. But my younger brother was Farouk, he was killed in front of my father. He was picked up in his room where he sleeping with his wife and killed him and made away with his body. When it was time for the Governorship election, Prince Audu also called me to work for him and he mobilized me N20million, I went home worked for him and he promised to make me the Chief Security Officer of the State, Kogi youth leader and he also be the collecting revenue from farm products in Kogi State. We worked Audu won, I mobilized people vote for Audu all over Kogi State, I was also ambushed an almost killed by Ugwuaraka who supported PDP. But after Prince Audu died and Yayaha emerged as governor I made efforts to reach out to him and to let him know that I was in support of his government. But the people I was sending to the governor weren’t giving the right information. They made him understand that since I was very close to Prince Audu and his family and that I was very angry with the way his family has lost out of power following their father’s death and that I will never work for him rather I will make the state ungovernable. But this were all lies, the people I have been fighting with are the PDP thugs who wanted to kill me and since APC came into power I have called on all my boys who are into armed robbery to stop because I have repented. Few weeks before the last governorship election, some of my boys from Okene who use to rob in my area. I advised them to quit robbery because I discovered that people of Kogi State wanted change and they were accepting what I was telling them and I knew that if APC wins I and my boys will enjoy, but they refused, so I tricked them that I had job for them and when they came to my town, I took them to a hotel, and they parked their operational vehicle and their rifles within the hotel premises but while they were inside I called some of my boys and we stole all the rifles in their vehicle. I control all the APC thugs in Kogi State and since I repented I have been seriously out against crime. Any of my boys who does kidnapping I use to arrest and hand them over to the police but in most cases the police would release the person after collecting money from such person, so what I do now is that if I arrest you for kidnapping in my domain I will kill you. You can ask the police in Kogi state about this and they will confirm it. After all I did the state governor didn’t find it necessary to appreciate my efforts simply because I believes at I am fully in support of Prince Audu’s son Mohammed in becoming the governor but that is not true. My loyalty is to APC.”
Zekari also explained that before his arrest that in April 2015, few weeks before the election that he and members of his gang robbed a vehicle carrying huge amount of money in Abuja. He added that he over N50million from the operation and that he narrowly escaped death as one of his gang members also attempted to kill. “ it was Dan that brought the job to me. He told me that some politicians were moving money around Abuja and it seems that the money was meant for election. We mapped out a strategy and we sighted the vehicle approaching us, we double crossed it and we snatched the vehicle from the driver. After the operation, I kept three Ghana Must go back for myself and I gave Dan and others involved two Ghana must go to share. But while we were sharing the money, one of Dan friend who had a gun with him wanted to shoot me and he ended up shooting himself. Another opertation I did was in Okene, I did that job with Black and we N10, million from that. “
He also added that he lost seven of his rifles to the police Niger State after they arrested his younger brother who used one of his gun to snatched a car, “ After the Kogi east election was canceled and the reelection was about coming, I gave seven of my rifles to my manager and when I was away for the election my younger took one of the guns and gave it to a Yoruba boy used it to snatch a car and after it was snatched the Yoruba boy was arrested and he led them to my car stand in Abuja where police seized all the vehicles in it and they also carried away my seven rifles.”
On how he thinks peace and security could be restored in Kogi State, Zakeri said the government needs to offer amnesty to anyone carrying gun in the state explaining that there so many gun on the loose in kogi state. According to him; “ it was PDP government that brought A47 rifles to kogi state and they shared it to all their thugs and these people have been killing us with these rifles and now we are defending ourselves but I think if this governor want to end this hostility he should offer amnesty and urge anyone with gun to return and surrender their rifles and anyone who refuses to drop is or own the governor should give me the mandate to go after that person and retrieve the gun "
When I got to Portharcourt I was squatting with a boy from my home and I had no job, then I started visiting an indian helm joints to smoke and I discovered that the people coming to that joints were mainly into oil bunkering. I told them that I wanted to join them and they started beating me. They thought I was an informant, I was beaten for one week before a guy who identified himself as an Ateke-Tom’s boy, took interest me then he allowed me to join them. They thought me how to handle fire arms and we did lots of oil bunkering and I was making close to N3million on each trip. After I made my money I came to Abuja and settled down. I built a house and then I went into car dealership. I was buying and selling cars. I also came back with three guns and I kept them in the village. Because at that time the siting governor had given guns to all the thugs in my state and since they had killed my blood brothers, I thought it wise to have my own guns to as to protect myself with it. In that election I was protect ballot boxes from thugs to carry it. When Captain Idris Wada and Prince Audu contested in 2011 elections, I went back home and still protected the votes of my people. I made sure I used my guns to prevent my peoples vote from being subverted one of my friends was even killed in the process. After that election, I came back to Abuja, went back to my business, and I bought motorcycle for people to ride. I was also married to three wives, then. Before the 2015 election PDP and APC thugs had a fight and I came back home and fourth for APC and I defeated the PDP. It was then that it became obvious to my APC party men that I have become a very powerful thug. When the 2015 election campaign started Prince Audu gave me N30million to work for them in the presidential election. We worked for them and they won. But my younger brother was Farouk, he was killed in front of my father. He was picked up in his room where he sleeping with his wife and killed him and made away with his body. When it was time for the Governorship election, Prince Audu also called me to work for him and he mobilized me N20million, I went home worked for him and he promised to make me the Chief Security Officer of the State, Kogi youth leader and he also be the collecting revenue from farm products in Kogi State. We worked Audu won, I mobilized people vote for Audu all over Kogi State, I was also ambushed an almost killed by Ugwuaraka who supported PDP. But after Prince Audu died and Yayaha emerged as governor I made efforts to reach out to him and to let him know that I was in support of his government. But the people I was sending to the governor weren’t giving the right information. They made him understand that since I was very close to Prince Audu and his family and that I was very angry with the way his family has lost out of power following their father’s death and that I will never work for him rather I will make the state ungovernable. But this were all lies, the people I have been fighting with are the PDP thugs who wanted to kill me and since APC came into power I have called on all my boys who are into armed robbery to stop because I have repented. Few weeks before the last governorship election, some of my boys from Okene who use to rob in my area. I advised them to quit robbery because I discovered that people of Kogi State wanted change and they were accepting what I was telling them and I knew that if APC wins I and my boys will enjoy, but they refused, so I tricked them that I had job for them and when they came to my town, I took them to a hotel, and they parked their operational vehicle and their rifles within the hotel premises but while they were inside I called some of my boys and we stole all the rifles in their vehicle. I control all the APC thugs in Kogi State and since I repented I have been seriously out against crime. Any of my boys who does kidnapping I use to arrest and hand them over to the police but in most cases the police would release the person after collecting money from such person, so what I do now is that if I arrest you for kidnapping in my domain I will kill you. You can ask the police in Kogi state about this and they will confirm it. After all I did the state governor didn’t find it necessary to appreciate my efforts simply because I believes at I am fully in support of Prince Audu’s son Mohammed in becoming the governor but that is not true. My loyalty is to APC.”
Zekari also explained that before his arrest that in April 2015, few weeks before the election that he and members of his gang robbed a vehicle carrying huge amount of money in Abuja. He added that he over N50million from the operation and that he narrowly escaped death as one of his gang members also attempted to kill. “ it was Dan that brought the job to me. He told me that some politicians were moving money around Abuja and it seems that the money was meant for election. We mapped out a strategy and we sighted the vehicle approaching us, we double crossed it and we snatched the vehicle from the driver. After the operation, I kept three Ghana Must go back for myself and I gave Dan and others involved two Ghana must go to share. But while we were sharing the money, one of Dan friend who had a gun with him wanted to shoot me and he ended up shooting himself. Another opertation I did was in Okene, I did that job with Black and we N10, million from that. “
He also added that he lost seven of his rifles to the police Niger State after they arrested his younger brother who used one of his gun to snatched a car, “ After the Kogi east election was canceled and the reelection was about coming, I gave seven of my rifles to my manager and when I was away for the election my younger took one of the guns and gave it to a Yoruba boy used it to snatch a car and after it was snatched the Yoruba boy was arrested and he led them to my car stand in Abuja where police seized all the vehicles in it and they also carried away my seven rifles.”
On how he thinks peace and security could be restored in Kogi State, Zakeri said the government needs to offer amnesty to anyone carrying gun in the state explaining that there so many gun on the loose in kogi state. According to him; “ it was PDP government that brought A47 rifles to kogi state and they shared it to all their thugs and these people have been killing us with these rifles and now we are defending ourselves but I think if this governor want to end this hostility he should offer amnesty and urge anyone with gun to return and surrender their rifles and anyone who refuses to drop is or own the governor should give me the mandate to go after that person and retrieve the gun "
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