A 51-year-old member of a Neighbourhood Security Watch Group in Nsukka, Enugu State, has been revealed as a notorious trans-border kidnapper with a long history of abducting children. Emeka Emmanuel Nwangwu, recently arrested for the murder of his 19-year-old maternal cousin, Loveth Uloma Nwangwu, led a double life that spanned over a decade of violent crime.
A Decade-Long Trail of Kidnapping and Deception
Investigations show Nwangwu's criminal career began long before his recent arrest. According to a Vanguard report from May 19, 2012, he was implicated in the abduction of the daughter of Folarin Coker, a former aide to ex-Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola. Employed as a driver in the Coker household for barely a month, Nwangwu absconded with their little girl, taking her to a neighboring African country.
His method was cunning. On the day of the abduction, he deceived a female house help by sending her on an errand to a departmental store along Awolowo Way in Ikoyi. Once alone, he swiftly transported the child to Mile 2 in Lagos and, with the aid of his then-fiancée, Patricia Abena, boarded a cab directly to Ghana.
The Cokers were not his only victims. Police records indicate that in 2009, a resident of Banana Island, Mr. Afam Edozie, paid a staggering N21 million ransom to secure his daughter's release. Another victim, Mrs. Folusho Odegbaide of Magodo, paid N2.5 million for her child's return.
International Manhunt and Police Corruption
Nwangwu's crimes had an international dimension, exposing corruption within law enforcement. After kidnapping Mr. Edozie's daughter, Nwangwu and his wife grew apprehensive when they realized the family had contacted Interpol in Lagos and their counterparts in Ghana. Security agencies planned a sting operation to arrest the couple during the ransom collection and rescue the child.
However, in a shocking twist, Ghanaian police officers intercepted Patricia, took the N12 million ransom she had withdrawn, and set her free without informing the waiting Nigerian authorities or the victim's family. An enraged Nwangwu then called Mr. Edozie, informed him of the loss, and threatened to kill his child unless another N12 million was paid. Edozie negotiated the sum down to N9 million, which he paid.
The scandal infuriated the Ghanaian police high command, leading to the arrest, trial, and dismissal of eight police officers involved in the ransom theft. The Ghanaian police subsequently declared Nwangwu and Patricia the country's most wanted criminals, publishing their pictures widely. However, the couple had already fled to Ivory Coast, later moving to Sierra Leone and then Benin Republic, where they established a new base.
Return to Nigeria, Arrest, and a Grisly Finale
From Benin Republic, the couple returned to Lagos, repeating their modus operandi. Patricia secured a nanny job at Mrs. Odegbaide's home, worked for a month, and then disappeared with another child, demanding a N20 million ransom, which was later negotiated down to N2.5 million.
The relentless pursuit by the Cokers and pressure on the police eventually led to a breakthrough. The case was transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Ikeja, under SP Abba Kyari, whose team was mandated to track down the suspects. After realizing Lagos was "too hot," the couple fled to Abuja. Nwangwu was posted as a driver to a retired army Brigadier General but found the target unsuitable. It was there that SARS operatives finally apprehended him and his wife.
During interrogation in 2012, a 39-year-old Nwangwu confessed to a life of crime that began in 2000 when he fled his hometown in Opi, Nsukka LGA, after stabbing a fiancée who refused to marry him. He detailed a pattern of theft from employers and elaborate kidnapping schemes. He admitted to spending the N22 million ransom from the Cokers on a lavish lifestyle in Ghana, including buying a house, five exotic cars, and making charitable donations that even attracted the Deputy Nigerian Ambassador to Ghana.
His criminal journey ended temporarily with that arrest, but he later resurfaced in his hometown, joining a local security watch. This facade shattered when he was arrested for the murder of his cousin, Loveth, days after she reportedly accused him of years of sexual abuse. The case exposes the terrifying possibility of dangerous criminals infiltrating community security structures.
