The kidnap kingpin who masterminded last Sunday’s abduction of Professor (Mrs.) Kamene Okonjo, the 82-year-old mother of Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister for the Economy/Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has died in police custody.

Bolaji, whose surname is yet to be ascertained, bled from gunshot wounds and “died before he got to Asaba,” according to the online newspaper, supremeng.com, whose publisher, Mr. Joe Omokaro, has strong links with the Nigeria Police.

The paper reported that “Asaba residents are jubilating over the death of Bolaji, who was known to be a popular kidnapper in the state. He was said to have earlier been arrested by the police charged to court, but the court granted him bail. And he went back to his nefarious business of kidnapping.”

It disclosed that “several businessmen and women as well as youths in Asaba” who spoke with it “commended the police for being able to dispensed with the life of Bolaji, whom they said was a terror.”

The SUPREME quoted Delta State Commissioner of Police Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, as assuring that fleeing members of Bolaji’s gang would soon be arrested.

Aduba confirmed that the gang operated with a bus that bore the inscription of a non-existent church. “We have recovered the bus with the fake church inscription on it. It was recovered in a mechanic workshop, because it had a fault. We also recovered a Gulf car belonging to Bolaji,” the police commissioner said.

He commended Inspector General of Police M.D. Abubakar for the timely deployment of crack anti-terrorist detectives to Asaba to assist the command in rescuing Prof. Okonjo. “I sincerely thank the IG for sending us the anti-terrorist personnel. They really worked hard work,” Aduba said.

•Photo: Delta State Commissioner of Police Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba.