Outrage As Tinubu Pardons Notorious Kidnap Kingpin Kelvin Oniarah
By TOSI ORE
NIGERIA is reeling from shock after President Bola Tinubu granted a presidential pardon to convicted kidnap kingpin Kelvin Prosper Oniarah, whose decade-long reign of terror spanned six states—Delta, Edo, Rivers, Abia, Benue, and Oyo.
Oniarah, once described as one of Nigeria’s most feared criminals, operated detention camps in Warri, Kokori, Ugbokolo, Benin City, and Aba. His gang was behind a string of brutal kidnappings, assassinations, and armed raids that left scores of civilians and security officers dead.
Among his most infamous crimes was the 2013 abduction of human rights lawyer Mike Ozekhome (SAN) on the Auchi–Benin Highway. Convicted of terrorism and kidnapping in October 2023 alongside an accomplice, Frank Azuekor, Oniarah’s crimes also included the kidnapping of a serving judge, a top FIRS official, and the murder of former Anambra deputy governor Dr. Chudi Nwike while in captivity.
His gang launched deadly ambushes on security forces, raided prisons, and abducted NYSC members, soldiers, and police officers. In one audacious act, he attempted to kidnap his own traditional ruler, the Ovie of Agbon.
Before his arrest, Oniarah declared war on the federal government, forming a militant group, LIMUP, and threatening nationwide chaos if his men were not freed. He was finally captured on 25 September 2013, in a Port Harcourt hotel by a joint Army–DSS operation.
Now, his sudden presidential pardon under a new criminal amnesty has sparked public outrage, with many questioning why a convicted terrorist and kidnapper should walk free after years of terror that left a bloody mark on Nigeria’s security landscape.
