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Tag: abducted

  • Boy, 3, abducted in Ijanikin on way home from school

    Boy, 3, abducted in Ijanikin on way home from school

    THE four Okoli siblings were on their way home from school last Wednesday when it happened. They were close to their house on Adio Street in Ijanikin in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State when the twins among them – Charity and Rufus – started fighting.

    A woman suddenly appeared to play the peacemaker. She separated the four-year-old fighting twins; but she did not stop there. She abducted three-year-old David, the youngest of the siblings, under the guise of going to buy him biscuit.

    The eldest among them, Esther (6) and the others waited in vain for the woman to return with David before going home to tell their parents what happened.

    Those who saw the woman, described her as fair and fat.

    The woman was said to have prowled the street for days.

    Those who had interacted with her, said she claimed she was from Aba in Abia State.

    A family friend, Bennet Obioma, described the woman’s action as cruel.

    Obioma, a factory worker said: “It was in the afternoon last wednesday when they were coming from school. They were four in number (his eldest sister and the twins) and they were very close to their house. The twins started fighting and a woman came in between them and carried the boy and said others should wait that she wants to buy biscuit for them.

     “It happened on Adio Street in Ijanikin. His mother is my church member. We have been searching for him. On Sunday, his father took his picture to Agbara town and one woman selling food told him that a woman came with the child and the child was uncomfortable. She gave the child food to eat and after a while, the woman took the child to where buses load Atan. I think they boarded a bus to Atan. So the father took a bike to the place. Immediately he got there, an Okada rider told him that he was the one that carried the woman and the child to one place. The man, accompanied by other Okada riders, searched the place the woman alighted but they could not find them.  They have reported to Ijanikin Police Station.”

    David’s mother Mrs Ifeoma Okoli, 37 said the kids were close to the house before he was abducted.

     “It was on Wednesday when they were coming back from school. According to those that saw the woman, she was fair in complexion and fat. When they were going, the woman saw the twins fighting and called them towards the other side of our house – just a stone’s throw from our house. She then dragged David through another road to link the main road and fled.

     “I don’t know the woman but my sister said the woman had been walking about in the street for some days. She claimed she was from Aba in Abia State. She wanted to carry my baby across the border. I learnt she took him to Okokomaiko, Agbara and Atan. One man told us he saw her somewhere but before we got there, she had carried him to Sango. On Sunday, an Okada rider took my husband to the place but they said she went to Atan. When he got to Atan, we were told that she went to the border.

     “David will be three in a month. The eldest, Esther is six and the other two, Charity and Rufus (twins) are four years old.”

    Mrs Okoli, a trader, condemned the attitude of officers at Ijanikin Police Station.

     She said: “We reported the matter at Ijanikin Police Station and also at Area 2, Agbara. The police have been doing nothing since we reported. When my husband (Ugochukwu Steven Okoli, 38) went to collect police report, they told him to bring N3000 but the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) told him to bring N500. After that they told him to go and buy fuel for them. After collecting the police report and he wanted to give them N500, one woman shouted that he should go with the money. At the end of the day, he only bought fuel for them; they did not collect any money from him”.

  • Abducted Osun Iyaloja rescued

    Abducted Osun Iyaloja rescued

    The Iyaloja of Kajola-Ijesha in Atakumosa East Local Government Area of Osun State, Alhaja Adunni Adegbokun, who was abducted about two weeks ago by unknown gunmen, has been rescued by the police.

    Alhaja Adegbokun was kidnapped on May 19, at her A20, Araromi Street, Kajola-Ijesa residence by four armed men.

    Police Commissioner Olufemi Olanipekun Oyeleye told reporters that the rescued sexagenarian was found on Ibadan expressway at Ikire by a police patrol attached to Ikire Divisional Police Headquarters, where she was abandoned by her abductors.

    According to the police chief, the victim after she was rescued was rushed to Oluyoro Private Hospital in Ikire and to Police Clinic, Osogbo for medical attention before she was later released to Iyaloja-General of Osun State, Chief (Mrs.) Awawu Asindemade.

    Oyeleye, who said the police were on the trail of the abductors, confirmed that the victim had been re-united with her family.

    The police commissioner, who was transferred to Osun State about two weeks ago, described the state as the most peaceful in the country.

     

     

  • Two pupils of FGC Okposi abducted

    Two Junior Secondary School (JSS) III pupils of the Federal Government College, Okposi, in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Tochukwu Eneh and Chukwuemeka Ugwu, have been abducted.

    The teenagers were last seen on May 12.

    Tochukwu is from Obioma while Chukwuemeka hails from Nsude, both in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    The boys were reportedly abducted from their school that Thursday.

    A family source said the pupils, who had just finished their final examinations that same day, were preparing to go home the next day when they were snatched.

    It was learnt that a group of schoolboys, including the duo, decided to get hair cut outside the school.

    They were said to be returning to the school when they were accosted by suspected kidnappers, who ordered them to stop.

    The teenagers reportedly ran towards different directions but their assailants were said to have caught up with them and carried them away.

    It was gathered that the other pupils, except the two, returned to school.

    But the boys were said to have been frightened beyond raising the alarm.

    The incident was said to have remained unreported until the following day (May 13) when Tochukwu’s guardian did not see him as they had agreed.

    The guardian, said to be a lady and a worker at the college, reportedly had some items she wanted Tochukwu to take to his mum in Enugu.

    When she learnt about what happened, the lady was said to have notified the school authorities and the parents of the victims.

    Police spokesman George Okafor, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said he was not aware of the incident.

    The spokesman said he was just returning from Abuja on an assignment.

     

  • Registrar’s son, two others abducted at UNICAL staff quarters

    Registrar’s son, two others abducted at UNICAL staff quarters

    Three residents of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) staff quarters have been kidnapped by unknown gunmen, who invaded the campus through the Qua River that runs from the school to its host communities. The abductees are the registrar’s son, a lecturer’s wife and daughter. EMMANUEL SHEBBS (Graduate School), NNABIGET OKE, IDIONGESIT IMUK (300-Level Medicine and Dentistry) report.

    Located about two kilometres from the academic area, the University of Calabar (UNICAL) staff quarters enjoys a serene environment because of its proximity to the school farm and the Qua River. But, last Monday, its serenity was shattered when nine armed men invaded two houses. They abducted three residents and escaped through the river.

    The victims are Dr. David Iniama, the first son of the Registrar, Mr. Bassey Iniama; the wife and daughter of Dr. Wilfred Ndifon, a lecturer in the medical college.

    At the time of this report, the whereabouts of the abductees remained unknown and no word has been heard from their abductors.

    The registrar was not at home when the abductors struck. His wife was at a meeting with members of the Knight of Saint Mulumba (KSM). Dr Iniama’s was returning home when he ran into the gunmen.

    It was learnt that he was alighting from his car when two of the abductors came from behind and dragged him to a corner. As he struggled with the abductors, his mother, who heard his scream, peeped through the window and saw two men dragging him away. Mrs Iniama, it was gathered, raised the alarm and ran out.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the gunmen fired shots to scare people. Mrs Ndifon and her daughter, who reside two blocks away from the Iniamas, were ambushed by the assailants as they attempted to call for help.

    It was gathered that the gunmen escaped through the Qua River. Some residents said they saw a speed boat taking off from the river bank.

    Reliving the incident, Iniama said: “I was returning from Uyo in Akwa Ibom State that day when I got a call that there was sporadic gun shots at the staff quarters. I quickly called my wife and she told me that she was in a meeting. To be sure all was well, I called my daughter and I noticed that she was crying. I knew something was wrong at that point. But, my wife did not want to reveal anything to me.

    “I started receiving calls from neighbours, telling me there was trouble in my compound. I called the police and the university security office to report the incident. When I got back, I met a combined team of the police, the Department of State Service (DSS) and the school Chief Security Officer in my house,” he narrated.

    It was gathered that the neighbourhood has been at criminals’ mercy, prompting residents to contribute N3,000 monthly to strengthen security. The money is allegedly paid to the Airport Police Division, which sends two policemen to the staff quarters every night.

    When the gunmen struck, CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the policemen on guard were at the second security booth some 500 metres away from Iniama’s residence.

    A furious resident, who pleaded not to be named, said: “The policemen were not on patrol. They sat in the security booth, doing nothing. That is how they do everyday. But, there is a limit to the task of these two policemen. They cannot be in all houses at the same time. If there had been adequate personnel, the incident would have been nipped in the bud.”

    Before the abduction, residents said there had been reports of robbery and burglary in the area. A resident, who gave his name as Udom, said: “In February, there was a robbery in the neighbourhood. Some criminals broke the door of Prof Okezie’s house, carting away N300,000. The same criminals also went to Dr Ndifon’s house and robbed him of valuables. The criminals have changed their game to kidnapping and that means there is no security in the staff quarters.”

    After the February incident, CAMPUSLIFE gathered that residents met with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Zana Akpagu, who promised to fix street lights in the quarters. Two months after, the area remains in darkness, providing a cover for criminals to perpetrate their act.

    Iniama lamented the insecurity in the staff quarters, saying strangers  walked around the place unhindered. He described the situation as improper, saying the university is not shielded from its host community.

    He said: “We have complained about strangers coming to fetch water in the staff quarters. It is abnormal to see strangers carrying fire wood and bush meat, walking around the staff quarters. We have been exposed and that is why crime thrives in this place.”

    Reacting, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declared one week break to sympathise with the victims’ families.

    The union Secretary, Dr Jonas Ekung, said the break is not as an industrial action. He said: “The break is normal for the union to express sympathy with its members when they are faced with critical challenges such as this. Only lectures have been suspended; other activities can still go on.”

    Iniama said the abductors had not contacted the family. He said: “We have not heard from anybody. We don’t know where they were taken. We are praying to God for their release unconditionally.”

    When CAMPUSLIFE visited Ndifon’s house, it was locked. A neighbour said occupants vacated the house a day after the incident.

    Efforts to reach the school for comment failed. The Public Relations Officer, Mr Eyo Effiong Bassey, did not pick calls.   He was also said not to be in the office when our correspondent visited.

     

     

  • Three abducted Osun workers freed

    Three Osun State government officials abducted last Friday by unidentified gunmen on the Obajana-Lokoja Road in Kogi State on their way from an official assignment in Abuja have regained their freedom.

    A terse statement by the Head of Service, Sunday Olayinka Owoeye, said the victims were released yesterday.

    He said they are in police custody in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

    Owoeye said: “Arrangements are now being made to convey them to Osogbo, the state capital, within the shortest possible time by security agents with a view to re-uniting them with their families and relations.

    However, there was no detail of how the three officials were rescued.

  • Army Colonel abducted

    Army Colonel abducted

    Gunmen at the weekend abducted a top army officer Col. Samaila Inusa on the highway in a commando style in Kaduna.

    The gunmen suspected to be kidnappers whisked away the officer who was riding in his Mercedes-Benz car around Kamazo, along Kaduna Refinery Road, in Chikun local government area of Kaduna State. He was with his wife.

    Deputy Director, Army Public Relations Officer of 1 Division Nigerian Army, Colonel Abdul Usman in a statement yesterday confirmed the Saturday night’s abduction.

    According to him, “the abductors dropped off Colonel Inusa’s wife and left with him in his car. The car headed towards Abuja.”

    The statement said: “This is to inform the general public that a senior officer of the Nigerian Army, Colonel Samaila Inusa serving in Nigerian Army School of Infantry Jaji Kaduna was abducted around Kamazo near NNPC junction, Kaduna.

    “The abductors dropped off his wife and left with him in his car. The car headed towards Abuja.

    “Anybody with useful information or assistance should please assist in tracking these abductors. They are in a Mercedes Benz GLK Black colour with registration number Abuja, KUJ 154 TZ.

    “This happened at about 7:30pm on Saturday, 26 March, 2016. The following numbers could be reach for further contact; 08033865572, 08030489203, 08023445961, 07038025282 or 08058130703.”

    The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Mechanized Division of the Army, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, has promised N500,000 cash reward for anyone with useful information that could lead to the release of Col. Inusa.

    Division Spokesman, Col. Usman assured that such information would be treated with utmost confidentiality.

  • Rescue of abducted girls: The Ambode example

    When three  school girls were abducted from the Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary, Ikorodu, Lagos State recently, memory of the abducted Chibok girls yet to be found almost two years after threw many people especially the parents of the girls into despondency. The parents feared their daughters may suffer the same fate like the Chibok girls abducted since April 15, 2014. But in a swift reaction, and in matching words with action, Governor Akinwumi Ambode proved many who had resigned to fate, wrong as the girls were rescued six days (they were abducted on February 29 and rescued on March 6)  after abduction thus ending the nightmare of parents.

    Had President Jonathan acted promptly like Governor Akinwumi Ambode did, and with a sincerity of purpose like President Muhammadu Buhari, the Chibok girls would probably have been rescued. It is unfortunate that the Jonathan administration foot-dragged about the rescue of the Chibok girls, wasting precious time, arguing about whether the Chibok girls were actually kidnapped or not, and by the time he was convinced that the girls were actually abducted, it was too late. To add insult to injury, the President’s wife, Patience Jonathan turned a serious matter to theatrics by inviting the Principal of the Chibok school and other officials where she insinuated that the girls were not abducted and that the whole incident was a “make believe” story to embarrass her husband.

    Unlike ex-President Jonathan, Governor Ambode left no one in doubt that he would rescue the girls and he immediately swung into action as he gave a marching order to the security agents who equally took the rescue seriously. In fact, the Inspector General of Police, Solomone Arase shifted base to Lagos. It was not surprising that Ambode got the full co-operation of security agents because he had earlier done the needful by providing security equipment worth N4.8 billion naira to the police for effective crime control in the city. This included, 100 4-Door Salon Cars, 55 Ford Ranger Pick-Ups, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-Ups, 15 BMW Power Bikes, 100 Power Bikes, Isuzu Trucks, three (3) Helicopters, two(2) Gun Boats, 15 Armoured Personnel Carriers, Revolving Lights, Siren and Public Address System, Vehicular Radio Communicators, Security Gadgets including Bullet Proof Vests, Helmets, Handcuffs, etc. The package included uniforms, kits and improved insurance and death benefit schemes for officers. The National Mirror editorial of Wednesday March 9, captured the governor’s strong resolve to rescue the girls: “Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State promised the rescue of the girls in no time. He did not sound defeatist, placatory or helpless while the security agencies did their job. He voiced his conviction that swift and coordinated reaction, guided by security intelligence, was a better and more sensitive approach to addressing the challenge than recourse to sensationalism or being panic-stricken”.

    Expressing their heartfelt gratitude to Governor Ambode for the swift rescue of the girls, the Anglican Archbishop of Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos Mainland Diocese, Most Rev. Adebayo Dada Akinde who led the principal of the school and the parents of the girls on a thank you visit to the governor said, “It was a most traumatic moment and sad for us as proprietors. Today we are thanking God for his intervention that a most unfortunate and traumatic event ended on a joyous note. All three pupils are now safe in the custody of their parents, they have been reunited. You acted and responded. Your response was prompt, your response was positive, your response was practical”.

    Today, we all know what happened to the fund allocated for arms purchase by the Jonathan administration. The diversion of that fund, running into billions of dollars left our army ill-equipped for battle. Even though it is the duty of the federal government to equip the police and other security agencies, Governor Ambode provided enormous support for the Lagos State Police Command and other security agencies in the state.

    The determination and concern with which Ambode pursued vigorously the rescue exercise of the girls shows a clear difference between a leader who cares and the one who doesn’t. Ambode’s slogan that Lagos will be uninhabitable for criminals is not  the usual political rhetoric but a statement of fact. This was corroborated by one of the arrested kidnappers who said: “I know that security in Lagos State is now tight and I was telling others that there was no way we would get away with this kind of job considering the level of security in the state. When I told them that we should end the assignment, other members of the gang threatened to kill me and then I took canoe to run away”.

    The cordial relationship between the governor and the security agencies has paid off greatly with the promptness and alacrity with which the police approached the operation. Other governors should emulate this. The security agencies should also be commended for their patriotism and the good use they’ve put the new gadgets donated to them by the Ambode administration. They were very tactical and professional in the rescue operation as they secured the release of the girls unhurt and arrested the culprits without firing a single shot!

    Even though the two abduction scenarios of the Chibok girls and Ikorodu girls were different,  the point remains that swift response would have made a difference in the case of the Chibok girls as it did in the Ikorodu girls. If solders had been drafted within 48 hours after the abduction of the Chibok girls, the girls would have been rescued. That this was not done was because the Jonathan government was pre-occupied with how to capture Ekiti State in the gubernatorial election coming up in June of that year as well as the 2015 Presidential  electoral preparations. By the time the reality dawned on the government that the girls were actually kidnapped, it was too late.

    The morale of the armed forces under Jonathan was low because of unpaid allowances and outdated weapons but it is better now with President Buhari as seen in the recapture of many lost territories and the decapitation of the terrorist group to a non-fighting force. Governor Ambode enjoyed the goodwill and co-operation of the security forces in Lagos State because he motivated them with material and welfare support which was lacking in the armed forces under Jonathan which made our soldiers run away from the battle-field when confronted with superior fire power of the Boko Haram terrorists. Even if they were deployed on time by then President Jonathan, it is doubtful if they would have been able to rescue the Chibok girls considering their low morale, arising from inadequate weapons which made them vulnerable.

    The unfortunate abduction has once again brought to the fore the need to put preventive measures in place  and beef up security around secondary schools in Lagos State. The schools should have private guards who could be useful in informing security agents immediately an abduction takes place even if they cannot prevent it.

    The timely apprehension of the culprits in the Ikorodu abduction is likely to discourage other criminals who may be planning such.

     

    • Afolabi writes from Surulere, Lagos.

  • How food ration led to release of abducted girls

    Fresh facts emerged yesterday that the release of the three abducted girls from Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary (BMJS), Ikorodu was made possible by shortage of food in the kidnappers’ den.

    One of the abductors left the den to buy food and drinks when he was intercepted by a combined team of policemen from Lagos Police Command and Intelligence Response Unit from the Police Headquarters in Abuja.

    A dummy sold to the kidnappers that their parents and relations had been arrested and might be killed made them to hasten the release of the girls.

    It was also learnt that two of the abductors were from the same parents, signposting that they had turned kidnapping into a business in the family.

    The police are on the trail of some of the fleeing abductors.

    Besides the rescue of the girls, the police force stepped up investigation into the incident to stem the increasing tide of kidnapping in Ikorodu.

    A top security source,who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “Despite the heavy security build-up and surveillance in and around Ikorodu, the breakthrough for the release of the girls came when one of the abductors sneaked into the town to buy food and water for the hostages and the kidnappers.

    “With the tracking of all contact lines by the kidnappers, the food ration courier was intercepted and arrested by the police team.

    “The suspect admitted that he was a member of the ring and he came to replenish the stock in the den. He wasted no time in disclosing the location of the girls at Igbokuta area of Lagos State and how to get there.

    “But the police team was cautious in not invading the team based on the information from the arrested suspect.

    The police located one of the fathers of the abductors who was used as a bait to ask them to release the girls unharmed.

    “They were told that all their parents and relations had been arrested and might be killed if they don’t set the girls free.

    “They were shocked to hear that their parents and relations had been arrested and they had no choice than to ‘drop off’ the teenage girls.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “The police team discovered that two of the abductors were from the same parents. We are probing whether or not they have been in kidnapping for long.

    “We have rescued the girls but we have not closed investigation. We will make sure all those connected with the kidnapping and their sponsors are arrested.”

  • Mother of abducted Lagos school girl slumps, hospitalised

    Mother of abducted Lagos school girl slumps, hospitalised

    The trauma triggered by the abduction of three school girls from Babington Macauley Junior Seminary (BMJS), Ikorodu, Lagos State, is beginning to take a toll on their families.

    The mother of one of the abducted girls slumped yesterday and had to be rushed to a hospital in Lagos for treatment.

    The woman was said to have collapsed after four days of dry fasting she embarked upon for God to intervene in the matter.

    Timilehin Olosa, Tofunmi Popoolaniyan and Deborah Akinayo were abducted on Monday night by a 10-man gang of hoodlums said to have entered the school compound through a gaping hole in the school’s fence.

    It was learnt that the woman’s health took a twist after the girls were not freed yesterday morning as expected.

    She was said to have placed much hope in pledges by security agencies to rescue them by yesterday.

    She was let home yesterday from the hospital after treatment.

    The Nation gathered yesterday that the kidnappers were insisting on a N10million ransom, despite pleas by the woman’s family, who it was learnt have raised a million naira.

    A source familiar with the development said:”the woman had high hopes that the girls would be rescued last night but when the kidnappers insisted on N10million, the woman whose family has raised a million Naira collapsed.

    “She was rushed to a hospital on the mainland where they live. She was hospitalised but much later, she returned home.

    “She has also been fasting since the girls were kidnapped. The kidnappers are still insisting on N10million. They have refused all pleas to accept the one million Naira the family has raised,” said a source.

    The Lagos State Police command’s spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent of Police said she was not aware of the collapse.

    “That information is not at my disposal,” she told The Nation when she was contacted.

    But she said the police had intensified their efforts to rescue the girls, and was hopeful the girls would soon be reunited with their loved ones

  • Abducted Jonathan’s nephew found dead in Bayelsa

    Abducted Jonathan’s nephew found dead in Bayelsa

    Samule Okies, the abducted 35-year-old nephew to former President Goodluck Jonathan has been found dead along the waterway of Otuoke, Jonathan’s community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    Okies was reportedly abducted on Wednesday alongside Jonathan’s 72-year-old foster father, Chief Inegite Nitaba.

    It was gathered that some fishermen from Otuoke found the remains of the deceased floating on the Otuoke River on Thursday evening.

    Sources from the community said the deceased went missing shortly after Inengite was abducted.

    According to them, the recovery of the body confirmed their fears that Okies was also a victim of the kidnap.

    Other sources said Okies might have been killed by gunshots fired during Inengite’s abduction.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said there was apprehension over the safety of Inengite in the community.

    “We are worried about the safety of our uncle. The men that abducted them have killed Okies and we pray they don’t touch our uncle,” the source said.

    Prior to his death, Okies was said to have always been in the company of the abducted foster father.

    Unidentified gunmen kidnapped Inengite, a first cousin and foster father to former Jonathan.

    The septuagenarian was whisked away from his residence in Otuoke on Wednesday.

    It will be recalled that he was first kidnapped on February 23, 2014, during the administration of former President Jonathan.

    His first abduction attracted public attention, as the Federal Government activated all security networks within the Niger Delta region to rescue him.

    After spending over two weeks in the kidnappers’ den, Nitabai was rescued on March 13, 2014, by the police, with claims that no ransom was paid to the abductors.

    The 2014 operation was carried out by10 heavily armed men who stormed Nitabai’s expansive compound at about 9pm and took him away without firing a gunshot.

    Another attempt to abduct Nitabai was also made by a gang of kidnappers, whose operation was foiled by the police.

    It was gathered that the latest incident, which occurred at about 3:30am, was carried out by seven gunmen.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Butswat Asinim, confirmed the death of Okies.

    He said there was a deep cut on his neck, adding that the police were on the trail of the kidnappers,