The kidnap kingpin John Ewa was fired from the bank where he worked as a cleaner after he was caught on camera stealing money, according to the Bayelsa state commissioner of police, Ben Okolo.

On Tuesday, September 27, Ewa and three of his comrades were paraded by the state police command.

The 48-year-old bank manager Akeeb Oladele Olushola was taken hostage on December 8 from his home in the Old Commissioners Quarters in Opolo, according to the Police Commissioner. On December 12th, he was freed after a ransom of eighty (N80) million naira was paid. In a similar manner, he claimed that the group also kidnapped Danjuma Omeje, 41, a manager of a new generation bank in Yenagoa, who was taken on June 30, 2022, at his home in Okaka, Yenagoa. After paying a ransom of 60 million naira—30 million naira in cash and the equivalent in US dollars of 30 million naira—on July 14th, 2022, he was eventually freed.

Ewa confessed to having collected Ten (10) Thousand US Dollars from the ransom collected in the kidnap of Danjuma Omeje.

Speaking on TVC this morning, the police boss said Ewa was dismissed from the bank as a cleaner after he was caught on camera stealing from bundles of naira notes.

”He was a former staff of a New generation bank. They laid him off since 2003. They caught him pilfering. Sometimes customers go home and the bundles will not be complete. They set up a CCTV and caught him that he was pilfering. He is no more working in the bank but he has knowledge of the people, where they live and it is their residents that he actually monitored.” Okolo said.