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Tag: abducted

  • Police rescue four abducted commuters

    Four persons reportedly kidnapped last Sunday by gunmen on Ikare-Owo Expressway have regained their freedom.

    They were kidnapped on Oba/Ose area of Ondo State while travelling in a commercial vehicle to Akure, the state capital, from Ikare, the headquarters of the Akoko North East Local Government Area.

    One of the occupants of the vehicle, said to be a pastor, was shot dead, while the others were abducted.

    Police spokesman Femi Joseph, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the abducted persons were released, following the efforts of the men of the command.

    He said: “On getting the information, our men swung into action and when we closed in on the kidnappers, they had no choice but to release the victims.”

    Joseph said the command had not arrested any suspect on the incident.

  • We shall rescue abducted pupils, Ambode vows

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has assured parents and  Lagosians of his administration’s committment to security of every child in the state.

    Ambode spoke last week at the grand finale of the Lagos State Schools Governor’s Quiz Competition.

    He spoke against the backdrop of a 14-day ultimatum issued during a protest by parents of the six abducted pupils of Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, at the Government House. The pupils were abducted by gunmen at the school premises three weeks ago.

    The gunmen, who also took the principals of both junior and senior secondary schools with the pupils, have contacted the victims’ parents, demanding N1 billion ransom which has been scaled down to N100 million. However, the parents are pleading that the ransom is beyond their reach.

    The governor, while identifying with the victims’ parents, assured that the pupils would be brought back unscathed. “Let me assure you that the government is working round the clock to ensure the release of the abducted students of Model College, Igbonla. We empathise with the students and parents and we will not relent in our efforts until the students come back unhurt to continue their education. We will not allow any group of people to distract us from our goal of educating all Lagos children and equipping them for the future,”Ambode said.

    At the ninth edition of the event, which held at the Adeyemi Bero auditorium, Alausa, Lagos State Model College, Kankon, beat Alimosho Senior Grammar School and Jubilee Model Senior Grammar School to the second and third positions respectively.

    The junior secondary school (JSS) and primary schools category saw Eko Junior College and Darocha Primary Schools emerging first and second runners up respectively.

    Ambode, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi, congratulated the winners.

    He recalled that the competition at the inception was designed to develop pupils’ mind by creating healthy rivalry among children in public schools in the state.

    “This quiz competition has over the years produced many very brilliant students, who have gone ahead to study various courses in tertiary institutions. It has broadened the horizon of participants from the preliminary levels to the finals, including the spectators and many other people who learnt from the competition,”he said.

    Education sector in the state, according to him, received N205.8billion in 2016 and 2017 budgets in spite of the stiff competition for resource allocation.

    “What the government has invested in the education sector of the state in the last two years is more than the annual budget of about 23 states of the federation. In fact, it is more than the 2017 budget of some four states put together,” Ambode said.

    To encourage students break new grounds, he said, Lagos has unveiled a digital library to ensure access to education and the continued development of the children in the state, advising children to devote more time to their studies.

    Speaking earlier, Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule, who was represented by the Director, Co-curricular, Mrs. Babs Akinyeye, observed that the quality of the competition has continued to grow as it progressed, praising participants’ exemplary brilliance.

    “The standard of questions that were posted to the pupils/students and the ease with which they answered them was a testimony to the quality of education that we provide in the state,” she said.

  • ‘How I abducted, killed Kwara medical doctor’

    ‘How I abducted, killed Kwara medical doctor’

    AN ex-convict, Hammed Mohammed, has revealed how he masterminded the abduction of a medical doctor, Tunde Abdulrahman and shot him dead in July 2016.

    Abdulrahman, was until his death attached to the Omu -Aran General Hospital in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

    He was abducted by three armed men who stormed his father’s house, located in Tenke area of Ilorin and taken away in his Toyota Corolla saloon car to an unknown destination.

    The incident was reported to the Kwara Police Command and the Department of State Security, DSS, in the state, following which his stolen mobile phones were traced to the home of a security guard working in his father’s house in Oke-Ose area of Kwara State.

    The security guard, Mohammed Jamiu, who had worked with the Abdulrahman’s for more than ten years was  subsequently arrested by the police, while investigations eventually revealed that his son, Hammed, an ex-convict, masterminded  the abduction of the late medical doctor.

    On sensing that policemen were closing in on him, Hammed, according to police sources fled to Sokoto, where he stayed for four months before returning to Kwara in November 2016, where he was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police(ACP) Abba Kyari.

    It was gathered that Abdulrahman’s bereaved family had earlier forwarded a petition to the Inspector General of Police

     Ibrahim Idris, asking for the police chief to help unravel those responsible for their son’s abduction.

    IRT’s operatives were said to have trailed Hammed to a hideout in Omu-Aran, where he had regrouped with two other robbery suspects terrorizing Kwara State, Olusho Rotimi and Ayo Ayeni. Hammed was said to have confessed during interrogation that he orchestrated and participated in the abduction and killing of Abdulrahman, but he declined to show the IRT operatives where he buried the corpse of the medical doctor.

    A police source disclosed that Hammed led detectives to arrest several innocent persons who had no connection with the case. Our correspondent gathered that he falsely alleged that a rich man in the Shagamu area of Ogun State had bought Abdulrahman’s corpse from him for N400, 000, while he also deceitfully led detectives to a forest in Kwara State, where he showed them some bones and said they were the remains of Dr. Abdulrahman. It however emerged they were cow bones after they were taken for autopsy.

    In a bid to arrest other fleeing members of his gang, Hammed also led detectives to Ijebu Ode where a 24-yearold car snatcher, who had no link with the kidnapping was arrested. Confessing his complicity in the crime, Hammed said: ” I started crime as a car snatcher and I stole several cars from their owners within Kwara and Oyo States, but I was arrested in 2015 and taken to prison where I spent more than one year. While in prison I had two close friends, Yemi and Dayo and when we were released we had nothing to do, hence, Dayo suggested that we should go into kidnapping and I suggested we should kidnap the son of my father’s boss, who is a medical doctor. It was Dayo who brought the guns we used in abducting the doctor (Abdulrahman) from his father’s house.

    My father wasn’t on duty when I came and I was outside, Dayo and Yemi went in and abducted and covered his (Abdulrahman) face. We took him out in his car and we drove him into a forest by Oke-Olowo and we had an argument and Abdulraman’s face got opened and he saw me and called my name. He threatened to deal with me when he is out and I shot him. He didn’t die instantly, we took him to a spot within the forest and dumped him.

    I took his car away and I sold it to one Alhaji for N28000. I also took his phones with me. One month after we killed him, operatives of DSS came to our house in Oke-Ose and they arrested my father. I ran to Sokoto State and I worked as an auto mechanic and when I exhausted all the money I had with me. I came back to Kwara State to form a new gang. I don’t know how the police knew I was back in town and they trailed and arrested me. I had no plan to kill the doctor but I was left with no choice when he identified me.”

  • Nigerian killed, another abducted in South Africa

    The Nigerian community in South Africa yesterday confirmed the death of a Nigerian and the abduction of another member in the country.

    Mr. Ikechukwu Anyene, the President of Nigeria Union, South Africa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on telephone from Pretoria that both incidents had been reported to the Nigerian Mission in that country.

    He alleged that one Victor Nnadi, a native of Orlu in Imo, was suffocated to death on Thursday by the Metropolitan Police in Cape Town.

    Anyene claimed that witnesses saw the police handcuff the victim and suffocated him to death.

    “When the people saw what happened, they raised an alarm and confronted the police.

    “The union’s chapter in Cape Town is already on top of the situation and trying its best to facilitate the release of   the detained brother of the deceased,” he said.

    Anyene, however,   urged the Federal Government to persuade the South African government to put measures in place to stop the killing of Nigerians.

    The union, he said, also got information on December 24, that one Austin Agunwa, a native of  Umuawulu, in Awka South Local Government Area of  Anambra, was abducted by unidentified persons  at Rustenburg, North West Province.

    He said Nigerians in the province raised a search team, which later found the victim’s car abandoned, after a crash near a bridge.

    Anyene, however, said the vehicle had no blood stain.

    “As we speak, we don’t know his whereabouts  and nobody has claimed responsibility for his abduction.

    “We have directed the union’s chapter in the area to report the incident to the police and open a case on the missing Nigerian,” he said.

    Anyene also said the union’s national body would liaise with Nigeria’s High Commission to visit Rustenburg over the incident.

    “We have also advised our people to be calm and remain law-abiding as the union and the Nigerian Mission are handling the situation,” he said.

  • ‘Free abducted journalist’

    ‘Free abducted journalist’

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Benue State has called for the release of the abducted News Editor of Radio Benue, Mrs. Iyuadoo Toragbidye.

    The NUJ accused the police of not doing enough to rescue her or find her vehicle, which her adductors escaped in.

    They urged the police to track the hoodlums and secure her freedom.

    A statement by NUJ’s Secretary, Agber Emmanuel, condemned Mrs. Toragbidye’s abduction, describing her as a harmless journalist and caring mother.

    Toragbidye is the wife of the Zonal Manager of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Achia.

    A member of the family, who spoke to The Nation, pleaded with her adductors to release her to unite with her kids.

  • My daughter was pregnant when abducted, says father of freed Chibok girl with baby

    My daughter was pregnant when abducted, says father of freed Chibok girl with baby

    It was a scene that brought out tears in the eyes of all present as the 21 freed Chibok girls were reunited with their parents yesterday in Abuja.

    The Bible-clutching girls danced and sang with joy during the service attended by top government officials and a few other guests.

    The event got to its high pitch as the parents arrived at the venue while the service was ongoing.

    It was the first meeting after two and a half years of separation.

    The excited girls ran, crying to parents who were equally so excited to see them. The parents hugged and carried them up in excitement.

    The father of Deborah Jafaru explained how his daughter was taken and how grateful he was.

    He said: “Unlike the others, Deborah had already finished her secondary school; she did not make her papers and returned to rewrite her WASCE when she was taken.

    “She just got married two weeks before returning for her papers and they took her, her husband has remarried now. They abducted her with pregnancy and she had my grandchild there but I’m just grateful to God and the government for returning my daughter and grandchild to me safely.  Words cannot describe how I feel at the moment.”

    Deborah is the only one among the girls who returned with a baby.

    Mrs Rifkatu John, carried her daughter Jummai Bakwa, on her back, with her wrapper like a baby.

    She refused to leave her daughter throughout the event . She said: “I never thought that I would see my daughter again in this life time; I prayed so much for her safe return and here she is finally. I just want to give God all the glory and thank the government for bringing her back.  I pray that the other Chibok mothers have the opportunity to see their daughters again and experience the joy I feel today,” she said.

    Another Chibok girl, Rahab Ibrahim, expressed gratitude to the government for ensuring their release, saying: “We never knew they would come out, we thought we were going to be there and never come out but here we are today, with our parents, I want to thank the government for making it possible for us to see our parents again today.”

    The mother of Mariamu Lawal pleaded with the government to rescue the other girls.

    “We are grateful to Buhari and all Nigerians for supporting us and ensuring the release of our daughters, we hope that the other girls are rescued as soon as possible, so their parents will have the opportunity to be as happy as we are today.”

    Father of Grace Gaphani said:  ”I am grateful to God and Nigerians for not forgetting us, I had lost hope, I never thought that I would see my daughter again but God returned her to me, I am so grateful to God for giving me another chance with my daughter, I am entrusting my daughter in the care of the government, let them take care of her, give her all the education she wants, even if it means taking her to America, I give them the permission to do it. She has always wanted to be educated, now I want the government to help her attain the level of education she wants to attain.”

    Chairman of the Chibok parents Association, Yakubu Nkeki said the parents would not be returning home with the girls. “They have not been handed over to their parents completely because they are still undergoing some trauma counselling, we are not taking them back home with us, they are going to remain with the government, to ensure their welfare and health before they are handed to us.

    ”We pleading with the government to find a reasonable school for them, we want them to continue with their education.”

    Nkeki also lamented the negative news making the rounds on the social media about the girls being ill and pregnant which according to him is not true.” I have gone on the Internet and seen so many negative stories concerning our girls, some people say they are sick, some say pregnant and so many things but here we are today and our daughters are not looking ill or pregnant, they recognised us as soon as we arrived and were so excited, I just want people to stop spreading bad news about our daughters, people should please wait, verify before spreading news.”

  • Ex-Kogi permanent secretary abducted

    Ex-Kogi permanent secretary abducted

    A former permanent secretary in Kogi State, Mr. Moses Onivehu, has been kidnapped.

    Onivehu was abducted on the Okene-Lokoja highway while returning from Okene Sunday night.

    His wife, Mrs. Onivehu, who spoke on phone yesterday, said her husband was kidnapped close to Kabba junction on the Okene-Lokoja highway while returning to Lokoja after spending the weekend with the family at Okene.

    She explained that the kidnappers have contacted his children but made no specific demand.

    “I told them he is on medication and so should be released,” she added.

    Police spokesperson William Aya could not confirm the incident as the divisional police officer (DPO) was said to be ’on transfer’.

    He, however, said the incident will be investigated.

     

  • How monarch was abducted, by wife

    How monarch was abducted, by wife

    •Family: no word from kidnappers

    •Lawmaker condemns king’s kidnap

    Who kidnapped the Oniba of Iba, Oba Yushau Goriola Oseni? This was the question many asked yesterday as sympathisers and security agents flocked his palace home after his abduction on Saturday night.

    The police and other security agencies have launched a manhunt for the kidnappers, who were said to have escaped through the bush at Iyegbe  close to the palace.

    Prayers were said in churches and mosques yesterday for the monarch’s release.

    Early yesterday, a voice echoed from inside a white garment church as prayers were said for Oba Oseni. “O God”, the voice began the supplication in Yoruba, “our Oba (Goriola Oseni) was kidnapped last night (Saturday night). This has never happened before in this town because many of us were born here and have lived in peace among ourselves. We, therefore, appeal to you Lord to touch the hearts of the kidnappers so that they will release him in peace…”

    One of the monarch’s wives, Alhaja Nofisat, who was with him when he was abducted around 8pm, said it might have been an insider’s job.

    “The time the kidnappers struck and its swiftness showed that insiders were involved”, she said.

    The Olori said: “Kabiyesi has an outstanding instruction not to see anybody again once it is 8pm. Even his children can hardly see him except it is urgent. So the kidnappers knew the palace was less congested and there was little chance of getting the king rescued. Kabiyesi has his private apartment upstairs but due to the pains in his leg, he stays in the apartment on the ground floor most times. We were both together in his bedroom that Saturday night when we suddenly began to hear loud shouts outside. Kabiyesi was getting uncomfortable with the shouts which he thought were coming from the children, and he angrily came out of the bedroom to warn them to keep quiet. That was when we came eye to eye with the kidnappers who were shouting ‘wey the king! Wey the king!!” in pidgin.

    “They were not wearing masks. Two of them then dragged Kabiyesi by his boxers but I held on to them not to take my husband away. When they realised I would not let go, one of them came forward and gave me a hot slap; that was when I relinquished my hold and dashed back to the bedroom to make some calls to the police. One of them also shot into the roof of the building twice. Meanwhile one of the wives had joined us and followed them as they dragged Kabiyesi outside the palace. When she also refused to let go, they shot her and the security man outside the palace. Then they started shooting into the air to scare people.”

    Another guard, who asked not to be named, said seven men entered the palace to abduct the king; others mounted guard outside. He said as soon as the abductors overpowered Sunday Okanlawon (the shot guard), they locked the palace main gate from behind to prevent residents or security from coming in on a rescue mission.

    He said the kidnappers trekked from the palace, shooting as they moved on before they escaped through the bush at  Iyegbe.

    While Okanlawon died on the spot, the source said the younger wife survived and has been taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) at Ikeja GRA.

    Mrs Adeezat Oseni, a daughter-in-law, said she was oblivious of what was happening until a stranger accosted her within the compound.

    “She said:  “The man asked me: ‘where is the way to the palace?’ Initially, I did not understand. The man grabbed my hand as I led him towards the palace. But As soon as we got nearer, I noticed through the kitchen window that some strange faces were already in the living room. That was when I ran and raised the alarm. The man then pursued me and by the time I was downstairs, I met another stranger who pointed a gun at me and asked me to kneel down and surrender my phone.”

    According to her, those who kept watch outside were masked.

    Among the callers yesterday Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule, former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Cornelius Ojelabi and some traditional rulers.

    Mrs Adebule pleaded with the abductors to consider the monarch’s age and health and release him.

    “We are appealing to the abductors to release our king because he is old. Our king is old and his health fragile. Besides, he has no money. We can only beg them to release him as quickly as possible,” she said.

    According to some residents, the kidnappers while fleeing through the waterways also shot dead a commercial transporter who was in his Coaster bus marked AGL 658 XL.

    Officers of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), OP MESA and police patrolled the community yesterday and frisked some people.

    The road in front of the king’s palace was lined on both sides with vehicles.

    The interior of the palace was a Mecca of sorts as sympathisers converged, discussing the incident in hushed tones.

    Family members said the abductors had not called to demand ransom, but police spokesperson Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP), told The Nation on phone yesterday that the kidnappers were pipeline vandals who switched to kidnapping after being stopped from destroying pipelines.

    Badmos said besides Okanlawon, the police attention have not been drawn to the two other persons reportedly shot dead.

    “They (abductors) are (pipeline) vandals who have now resorted to kidnapping using soft target because we did not allow them to have their way (in pipeline vandalism) again. This is why we have liaised with our counterpart in Ogun State to beef up security at the coastal lines to further check the excesses of these criminals,” she added.

    Two clerics from the Celestial Church of Christ Iba Parish Superintendent Evangelist Michael Toivde and Solomon Oladipupo came with some of their members and prayed for the family.

    Toivde said in Yoruba: “We have come to identify with the family of our king because he is a good man. Since last night when he was kidnapped, we have embarked on dry fast and we shall not taste anything until our king is found. We have also sent the name of the monarch to our branches for prayers on his safe return.”

    A member of the House of Representatives, representing Ojo Federal Constituency Tajudeen Obasa yesterday condemned the abduction of Oba Goriola.

    The monarch, who celebrated his 40th anniversary on the throne last year, is the father of a former Iba Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Chairman, Mrs Ramota Oseni- Adeyeri

    Obasa implored his constituents to remain law abiding, urging security agencies to unravel the mastermind of the “distardly act.”

    He urged those with information that can lead to the monarch’s rescue to come forward, to police promising that such information will be treated in confidence.

  • Family’s only child abducted in Okokomaiko

    Family’s only child abducted in Okokomaiko

    A family’s only child has been abducted in Okokomaiko, Lagos.

    Two-year-old Samuel Akpuafor (Jnr), who was abducted in May, was had by his mother 10 years after marriage.

    The distraught parents said things have not been the same since his abduction. Residents have decried the rate of kidnappings in the community, seeking the government’s urgent action to stem the crime.

    The Nation gathered that 20 children between ages two and five have disappeared in the last three months.

    When two women were arrested in Okokomaiko for kidnapping, many parents took the pictures of their abducted children to the scene hoping to know their whereabouts from the suspects.

    A resident, who gave his name as Chinedu, said many parents were now moving from one spiritual house to the other for intervention.

    He said: “Children disappear here almost daily. The thing is disturbing. Some while they are going to or returning from school; others while playing and some are kidnapped even in their houses. People almost killed a woman who was caught during Sallah holiday. At first she confessed to the crime and people brought pictures of their missing children and were showing her whether she can identify them. She was taken to the Baale’s palace so that the angry crowd won’t kill her and the Baale called the police. But when they police came, the woman started acting as though she was insane. That was how parents were asked to bring N1,000 each so that a test can be conducted to ascertain her mental situation. But till now, we have not heard anything.”

    Another resident, Sandra Onu, told The Nation that her Samuel Akpuafor (Jnr). was abducted while he was eating, adding that his mother almost died because of the incident.

    “In May, my neighbour’s two-year-old son was kidnapped in their home while he was eating. He’s their only child and they had him 10 years after marriage. His mother almost lost her mind as a result of his disappearance. She was taken to the Southeast where she stayed for long before returning to Lagos. The woman has not been the same again. Something needs to be done to end this madness. How can other people give birth only for some wicked souls to steal their joys away? It is a very difficult thing to bear.”

    The father, Samuel Akpuafor, said his world collapsed when his only child was kidnapped last May 19.

    He said: “That boy is my everything; My mother, my father, everything. It is as if my heart was divided into two and one killed. I have not been able to concentrate. I have not been able to think straight. I just cannot understand how that was possible. It was around 12pm on May 19, when I got a call that they were looking for my son. They had just returned from Thursday prayers and my housemaid gave him potato to eat. He was eating the potato outside and the housemaid was with him.

    “She said a woman came into the compound that she was pressed and she directed her to the restroom. After easing herself, she said the woman came back and told her she was waiting for someone. Being a small girl, she did not suspect anything. She left the woman and then went inside to do something while my son was still eating outside. But when she came out, she only saw the plate of potato without my son and the woman was gone as well.

    “They started looking for him and did not see him.  That was how they called me. Since that time, no one knew how the woman took him away and no one saw him. I have gone to all the police stations in this area with his picture. I have also gone to the radio room but we have not seen him yet.

    “I have been devastated since then. I have just been managing to survive. My wife too has been moving from church to church since she returned from the east. We are begging anyone with our son to bring him back. He’s the only child we have.”

    Another parent, Ezindu Nwosu whose four-year-old son, Chibuzor, was kidnapped on June 24, while he was playing in front of his grandmother’s house, said more than 10 kids have gone missing in three weeks.

    He said: “There have been more than 10 missing children in the past three weeks. The thing is very rampant in this area. My son’s disappearance is still a mystery. They usually go to my wife’s mother’s house which is behind Okoko market whenever they close from school. Then, when we are done with our day’s business, we come there and pick them up. On that day, they came back as usual and after eating, his older brother went to sleep, while himself and his sister were playing at an open space in-front of the house. It was around 5:30pm. And so, my daughter came to meet me at my wife’s shop, which is less than 10 minutes walk from my mother-in-law’s place. I told her to go and bring her brothers while I walked behind her. But when she got there, she could not find him. They looked everywhere and no one saw him. I got there and we started asking people and no one knew anything. That’s just how it happened. I have gone to the police station and reported. I have not been able to go to the market since then. All I want is to get my son back. We just want him back. We have been moving from church to church and they keep telling us he’s still alive. I am begging the government, police and even those who took him to bring him back to us.”

     

  • Troops rescue abducted persons

    Troops rescue abducted persons

    The Nigerian Army has confirmed that troops of the 22 Brigade Garrison on Wednesday rescued eight persons – two women, two female teenagers, three male children and a minor, who sustained injury. He is receiving treatment at the unit’s medical facility.

    According to the Acting Director of Public Relations Sani Usman, the rescued persons said they were abducted from Ngoshe Bara last year in Gwoza Local Government Area, taken to Sambisa forest and married off to insurgents. They, however, relocated to Lake Chad general area prior to their rescue by troops.

    They are being screened to further ascertain their status.

    Also, troops of the 26 Battalion, 151 Task Force Battalion, 155 Task Force Battalion and some elements of 21 Brigade have carried out a joint clearance operation to destroy remnants of Boko Haram terrorists camps and enclaves in the early hours of Wednesday in several villages in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State. The villages include: Kircha Goniye, Wujjah Alkelu, Kita Jiddum, Jameri, Geri Gana, Gere Kura and Jabe. Other villages cleared by the troops were Hasana Jere and Chachile.

    During the operation, they encountered some insurgents  and killed two of them. According to the Army spokesman, the troops recovered five dane guns, two mobile phones, three Boko Haram flags and a generator set, as well as several vehicles.

    He added that the troops of 22 Brigade Garrison on blocking position also encountered a convoy of Boko Haram terrorists on motorcycles same day, killed one of them and recovered three motorcycles, one bag containing N466,000.