- •Drivers protest incessant abductions
The police in Enugu State have rescued at least seven persons from kidnappers.
The police also arrested a total of 15 male suspects for various offenses, ranging from conspiracy, murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, unlawful possession of firearms and fraudulent acts.
Spokesman for the police command, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed these at a press conference in Enugu yesterday, adding that the arrests led to recoveries of seven firearms, two vehicles, a motorcycle, one dagger, cash sum of N701,000 and other incriminating exhibits.
Ndukwe said four of the victims were rescued around 1pm on Sunday, after an intense gun fight with kidnappers in a forest at Aishi-Ette in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area.
According to him, the kidnappers, most of whom escaped with gunshot wounds, abandoned the victims due to superior firepower of the operatives.
Accoridng to him, operations were carried out in collaboration with sister security agencies and local outfits.
“However, one of the victims sustained a gunshot wound in his left thigh during the duel, but was moved to the hospital, is responding to treatment and in stable condition; while others and all the Operatives returned unscathed.
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“The victims were reported to have been kidnapped at Umuopu village, along Ette/Ogugu Road, on June 23, at about 9:30pm, on their way to Obollo-Afor, Enugu State, from Ankpa, Kogi State. The hoodlums were said to have demanded ransom of N10,000,000 for each of them,” he said.
One of the kidnap suspects, Ali Jubril, 25, Ndukwe said, was arrested on Monday, June 26, at about 2am, after a hotel was raided along Enugu/Port-Harcourt Expressway.
The N701,000 was found in his possession and he could not give satisfactory account of the money. A dagger was also recovered from him, the police spokesman said.
Relatedly, over 100 drivers plying the Opi-Nsukka-Enugu road yesterday blocked the highway to protest incessant abductions of motorists and passengers.
The motorists grounded movement on the busy road as commuters, motorists, tricycle and motorcycle operators were stranded for over one hour.
Accoridng to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the protesting drivers chanted solidarity songs calling on the federal and state governments to bring the situation under control.
The protesters bore placards such as “The primary duty of any government is to protect lives and property”; “The Air Force should join hands by using helicopters to locate hideouts of these kidnappers”;
“Last week alone, three drivers and many passengers were kidnapped”.
A commercial driver, Ben Onyeke, said the protest was to bring the attention of Peter Mbah, the Governor of Enugu State, to what drivers plying Opi-Nsukka Ogbogo Enugu road were going through with their passengers.
“This road has become kidnappers’ den as drivers and passengers are abducted daily.
“Last week three of Sienna commercial drivers were kidnapped on this road and ransom paid before they were released.
“Some of our drivers who escaped from being kidnapped have their body and buses ridden with bullets by these hoodlums,” he said.
Leader of the protesters, Chujwudi Offia, said constant kidnapping on Opi-Nsukka Enugu road had force many people to avoid travelling for fear of falling victim.
Offia said this had affected patronage by passengers as the now struggled to get passengers in their park.
“We are using this protest to tell Enugu State government and security agencies to rise up to their responsibilities by ensuring that these criminals are arrested and prosecuted…”
Also speaking, Cosmos Agbo, a transporter, businessman and community leader from Opi described the level of kidnapping on that road as unfortunate.
Agbo said he narrowly escaped being kidnapped on the road last week and was yet to recover from the shock.
“Government’s primary responsibility is to protect lives and property of citizens; Enugu State Government should act fast to bring activities of these criminals to an end.
“The state employed people who work as Forest Guards, government should direct the forest guards to go into the bush to flush out these kidnappers.
“If kidnappers have taken over bush in the state, the question is, which bush are forest guards guarding in Enugu state?” he said.
The community leader, however, urged the National Assembly to quicken the passage of community and state police bill, to reduce security challenges facing the country.
NAN reports that intervention of Eha-Alumona Divisional Police Officer, Allen Evason, who addressed the protesters, made them remove the road block.
Evason promised the protesters that kidnapping on that road would soon end as security agencies were working night and day to ensure those behind the crime were tracked down, arrested and prosecuted,” he said.