Five Nigerians were arrested in Angeles City, Pampanga, by Philippine authorities last Thursday, following allegations that they had abducted a fellow Nigerian, Kingsley Ikeagwuana, and held him for ransom.
The suspects, identified as Evans Chinemerem, David Ibegbulamo, Nwokeke Ihechukwu, Nwokeke Chinemmerem, and Okonkwo Kosiso, now face serious charges of kidnapping for ransom and violations of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act (Republic Act 10591).
The arrests were made after a coordinated raid by the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group, along with officers from the Mabalacat City and Angeles City police, who stormed the suspects’ hideout in Barangay Malabanias.
According to Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, the Central Luzon Police director, the suspects had abducted Ikeagwuana, a student residing at Urban Resort Residences in Paranaque City.
“Hopefully, this will serve as a warning to those who want to commit crimes and to thieves,” Maranan remarked after the arrests. During the operation, authorities confiscated three firearms: two .45 caliber pistols and a .38 caliber revolver, all of which were loaded with ammunition. The suspects are currently in police custody.
This incident follows a similar event in September, when three Nigerian nationals were arrested in Las Piñas City for their involvement in extortion and scamming activities.
The trio—Ugochukwu Osuagwu, Chinonso Omeje, and Benjamin Onu—were apprehended by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after a woman filed a complaint against them.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago confirmed the arrest, stating that the suspects had been charged with extortion and violations related to the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (Republic Act 12010) and the Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175).
According to the victim, she had briefly dated Osuagwu, whom she met on a dating site, in August 2022. During their interaction, Osuagwu convinced her to lend him her GCash account and SIM card under the pretense of transferring funds for university tuition. Unbeknownst to her, Osuagwu and his accomplices used her accounts as conduits for their fraudulent schemes.
The victim later found herself imprisoned after one of the scammed individuals filed charges against her. Despite her pleas for the suspects to return her accounts, they demanded a sum of P3,000, which was later reduced to P2,500.
The trio was arrested when they accepted the marked money, and investigators recovered cell phones, GCash accounts, and ATM cards that were linked to the fraudulent activities.
