Prison Warders Escort Convicted Delta Kidnap Kingpin to Hotel for Meeting with Gang Members

Prison Warders Escort Convicted Delta Kidnap Kingpin to Hotel for Meeting with Gang Members

The Prison warders, DCIP Anthony Nketan, 55, and SPA Justice Oveto, 34 reportedly provided easy access for the imprisoned Delta kidnap kingpin, who reportedly went out on three occasions to hold meetings in a hotel room with members of his kidnap gang who thereafter went about wreaking havoc across Delta State.

32-year-old Stanley Erujere who is serving 21 years jail term in Okere Prisons, Warri, was arrested by police officers inside Omaks Hotel, situated at No. 40 Ginuwa road, Warri alongside Oveto, the warder who escorted him from the prison to the hotel. The pair later indicted DCIP Nketan, as the man who provided them with the pass that facilitated their exit from the prison.

Saturday Sun reported that each time the imprisoned Delta kidnap kingpin went to the hotel and came back to the prison yard, he rewarded Nketan and Oveto with N3,000 and N2,000 respectively. The kingpin had gone out of the prison yard three times to hold meetings with his gang at the hotel which culminated into three kidnappings in Warri and Asaba respectively before detectives busted the gang on June 22, 2018.

One of the Prison Warders SPA. Justice Oveto, a native of Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, enlisted in the Nigeria Prisons Service and trained in Owerri, Imo State in 2010 before he was posted to Okere Prisons, Warri, Delta State, told a news correspondent;

“Since June 25, 2018, myself and one of the inmates, Stanley Erujere had been going out of the prison yard in Warri together to Omaks Hotel, Warri. It was my boss. DCIP. Anthony A. Nketan who gave me pass permit and ordered me to follow the inmate to the hotel.

“We had gone out of the prison yard three times. It was on the third occasion that detectives arrested us at the hotel.

I thought the inmate, Stanley Erujere, was there to see his relatives. I did not know that he and his gang members were meeting and planning kidnap operations in the hotel. We usually spent two hours in the hotel before going back to the prison yard.”

Oveto claimed: “My boss has been denying me since we were arrested. He knows everything, especially, how Stanley has been going out of the prison yard to relax himself in the hotel.”

55-year-old DCIP Anthony Nketan who hails from Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State and reportedly joined the Nigeria Prison Service in 1986, however told Saturday Sun he had no idea about what was going on.

“It was my duty and authority to give a pass to allow any inmate to go out of the prison yard.”

He said: “It was in the month of June I allowed one of my warders/ clerks, SPA. Justice Oveto and the inmate Stanley Erujere to go out of the prison yard since I gave the pass permit. I did not know the mission of the inmate. I thought he wanted see his relatives. I did not know that they went to a hotel to see their gang members until when I was arrested and heard the truth of the matter.”

Prison Warders Escort Convicted Delta Kidnap Kingpin to Hotel for Meeting with Gang Members