The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abduction

  • Two killed in foiled abduction in Aba

    Officers of the 144 Battalion in Ukwa West Local Government of Abia State have killed two suspected kidnappers in Aba, the state’s commercial nerve centre.

    The hoodlums were said to have attempted to abduct a Dubai-based Nigerian in the city.

    Their victim, whose name could not be ascertained last night, was reportedly abducted by a gang at Okpu Umuobo.

    He was reportedly taken to a village at Umuojima in Osisioma Local Government, a short distance from the city centre.

    It was gathered that while the kidnappers were on their way, soldiers got wind of their movement and ambushed them.

    On sighting the soldiers, the hoodlums were said to have opened fire.

    But the soldiers reportedly forced them to abandon the victim and a black Land Rover,  registered as (Lagos) FST 754 DC.

    The two gang members were reportedly killed during the shootout, while two others, said to be the kingpins, escaped.

    It was learnt the soldiers were trailing the hoodlums for possible arrest and prosecution.

    The hoodlums were said to be from Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

    They were said to rely on information provided by their members, who combed the city for likely targets.

  • 21 aid workers abducted from UN compound in South Sudan

    Lam Tungwar, Information Minister for Northern Liech State, South Sudan, on Tuesday confirmed that 21 humanitarian workers were abducted by gunmen over the weekend.

    Tungwar said in Juba that youths allied to opposition leader Riek Machar overrun the town of Nhialdiu on Sunday and abducted the aid workers who were residing in a UN compound.

    He said that the abductees included one Kenyan national while the rest were South Sudanese working for different aid agencies.

    “It was a surprise attack on Sunday where they overrun the town and looted property.

    “Twenty one humanitarian workers residing in the UN OCHA compound were taken away.

    “The government is trying its best to rescue them.”

    He added that the gunmen also attacked the town of Koch, looting homes and burning over 40 huts.

    The northern region of South Sudan has exchanged hands several times between government troops led by President Salva Kiir and opposition forces loyal to Machar during civil war that broke out in December 2013.

    More than 100,000 displaced people are living under the protection of civilian site in Bentiu town of the northern region, according to the latest figures by the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

    Meanwhile, a peace deal signed between Kiir and Machar under UN pressure last year, led to the formation of a unity government in April, but was shattered by renewed fighting that erupted in early July.

    Machar, who had returned to his old post as Kiir’s deputy in the unity government, was sacked again and he fled the country after the July fighting.

    He is now residing in South Africa and has asked his supporters to launch a rebellion.

    Tens of thousands have been killed and more than two million displaced since late 2013.

     

  • Gunmen abduct 72yr-old retired principal in Bayelsa

    Gunmen abduct 72yr-old retired principal in Bayelsa

    Unknown gunmen, Monday, kidnapped a 72-year-old retired principal, Chief Sunday Festus, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    It was gathered that Festus was abducted at his residence in Bomo clan of the council on Monday morning.

    The son of the victim, Leigha, said his father was diabetic and critically ill when the hoodlums stormed the residence and whisked him away to an unknown place.

    He said the hoodlums numbering four struck at about 3:10am through the Foinbiri waterside and went straight to his father’s residence.

    They were said to have shattered window protectors, forced their way into the septuagenarian’s bedroom and took him to a waiting double-75horsepower speedboat.

    He said: “We heard a big bang at the door and heard voices who commanded our father to follow them. Our brother who is 13 years old made an attempt to stop them but was seriously beaten and left with bruises. They even hit on his head with the butt of the gun.

    “The heartless kidnappers dragged my father, a diabetic patient on the ground to the waterside, after shooting sporadically into the air to scare and scuttle any resistance from the community.

    “They headed towards Opuama community and at Oyeregbene they attempted to steal an engine boat, and later engaged an oil and gas surveillance patrol gun boat while escaping with their victim in a bid to pave their way from the security patrol on the waterway.

    “They got to Oyeregbene and Sangana waterways in Brass Local Government area and meandered into a small creek and disappear into thin air, as nobody could ascertain their next location”.

    He said the kidnapping could be an attempt to extort money from his elder brother, Mr. Daumiebi Festus, a real estate mogul and stalwart of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    He said the whereabouts and condition of his father were known as the abductors had yet to establish contact with their family.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), said the matter had not been officially reported to him.

  • South Sudan rebel spokesman abducted in Kenya

    South Sudan’s rebel movement on Thursday called on Kenya’s government to help in the search of James Gatdet Dak, its Spokesman, who was kidnapped on Wednesday in his home in Nairobi.

    The Sudan’s People Liberation Movement/Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) said it suspected South Sudanese security officials and Kenyan gangs of being behind the kidnapping.

    SPLM/A-IO Leader Riek Machar is to be in South Africa, where he received medical treatment after fleeing fighting in July.

    Machar first fled the fighting to Congo, from where he moved on to Sudan’s capital Khartoum for treatment.

    A power struggle between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Machar escalated into a military conflict in December 2013.

    Tens of thousands have been killed and about 2.5 million displaced.

    The two sides formed a unity government in April, with Machar reinstated as vice president, but the renewed fighting that erupted in July, dashed the hopes of peace.

  • ‘Chibok schoolgirl’s child not for Boko Haram’

    ‘Chibok schoolgirl’s child not for Boko Haram’

    One of the Chibok schoolgirls that came back with a child was already pregnant before she was abducted along with 219 other girls by Boko Haram gunmen on 14 April 2014.

    A source close to negotiations to free the remaining schoolgirls told NAN that there was no truth whatsoever in stories making the rounds that the girl was impregnated by one of her Boko Haram abductors.

    The informed source clarified that contrary to some media reports, the girl had conceived before her abduction after being properly married.

    “The girl and her parents have confirmed this. The child is not a Boko Haram Child,’’he said.

    The source also debunked stories that one of the girls came back pregnant, with some reports specifically saying one was four months pregnant.

    The NAN source trashed the stories as unfounded.

    “None of the girls released was sexually harassed or abused while in captivity by their abductors,” he said.

    “The current state of the girls is a source of joy as they are receiving the best medical, psychological and other forms of support from the authorities as directed by the Federal Government

    “All groups including the families, The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) and Chibok Community are happy with their condition as medical experts work to address their health conditions.

    “The girls have been visited by members of International Committee of the Red Cross, which played a great role in getting the girls freed.

    “It is obvious to everyone that having been in captivity, the girls were traumatised but since their release, they are showing signs of recovering well,’’ he said.

    Rumours, speculative reports about the state of the 21 released Boko Haram captives, are said to be creating stumbling blocks to further talks with the insurgents.

    The insurgents were said to be angry with Government for breaching some understanding reached with them when the 21 girls were being handed over 13 october.

    However, government sources have denied any link with various speculative reports, especially in the social media.

  • Bigwigs relocate families over fears of abduction

    Things have fallen apart in the once-secure world of wealthy families. The centre can no longer hold as their hearts are gripped by fear at the exploits of daredevil kidnappers for whom barbed wire gates and sophisticated alarm systems have proved no deterrent. The conscienceless men of the underworld now have no regard for position or status in carrying out their horrendous and dastardly acts.

    Consequent on the foregoing, political bigwigs and captains of industry as well as celebrities have begun to troop out of the country with their families in a bid to escape the evil clutches of the ransom traders. The troubled elites are also restricting the movements of their children and family members as they now hire well-trained security experts to tail them and their relatives.

    Some of them have had to put their faith in imported state of the art monitoring and alarm systems installed in their palatial homes. But all these have not proved totally successful in checking the incursions of kidnappers who often lie in wait for these big men and their children like wolves patiently waiting for lambs.

  • Abduction at dawn

    IT has become routine for them to rise at dawn and gather at a nearby makeshift structure for early morning exercise every Saturday. These days, we have all caught the bug of exercising, which we are told is good for our health. It has become a pastime – men, women and children engage in it. It is now common to see people jogging around their neighbourhood or on the road as you drive out early in the morning. To them, jogging is life and they will do anything to go jogging.

    Gone were the days of lazing around for want of something to do. At any given opportunity, the exercise buffs take off to indulge in their pastime. Sometimes you find them in company of twos, threes or more sweating it out together on the street. Last Saturday, some landlords from Oshorun Heritage Estate in Isheri North Local Government Area of Lagos State gathered at their usual spot near the Lekki Gardens Estate for their weekly exercise. Theirs is an organised aerobics class taken by a coach.

    That fateful day they were with their trainer, simply named Coach Oni. Hardly had they settled down at the end of Channels Television Avenue, which leads into Lekki Gardens Estate, that they saw some strange faces. These were people that do not normally attend the class. Could it be that they have heard about the class and came to join? That could not be because this is an exclusive gathering of landlords from the Oshorun Estate. So, no outsider can come in except he or she is invited by members. They did not have to wait long because the men showed their true colours.

    Armed to the teeth and hooded, they wasted no time before they made their intentions known. The landlords immediately sensed danger as the kidnappers said to be in military camouflage shouted that ‘’nobody should move’’. By now many of the landlords had become transfixed to the spot they stood. But, before the gang’s leader finished giving his order, some of them had taken off, running into the wild bush. They did not know where they were running to, but they knew that wherever it is, it will be better than being caught by the kidnappers. So, three of them escaped, but four were not so lucky.

    The kidnappers took away the coach, Kennedy Ucheagwu, Dr Omololu Bello and Fidelis Essang. Criminals will always look for an opportune moment to strike and in most cases that will be when they know the police won’t be nearby. Criminals are humans; they are flesh and blood like us. In that wise, they too are prone to fear, notwithstanding the brave look they put on because of the arms they carry. If they know they will be challenged by the police or even the people they will develop cold feet. But, in this case, the kidnappers had a free rein and went away with their victims. A chase by the police could have led to their arrest. The police did not consider it a matter serious enough to deserve immediate action as they argued over whose jurisdiction the case fell while the criminals escaped.

    Policemen from the Lagos and Ogun Commands passed the buck on who should handle the case. Those from Ogun said the kidnap happened in Lagos, while their Lagos counterparts said it happened in Ogun. Is it in such situation that the police will be fighting over jurisdiction? Their main job in that circumstance should have been how to stop the hoodlums from escaping as they got there early enough to do just that. They were also there in large number. If only they had chased those kidnappers, the story may have been different today.

    Yes, some lives would have been lost, but all the kidnappers would not have escaped. Today, the kidnappers are demanding N300 million ransom on each victim, amounting to N1.2 billion for the quartet. Where do they expect the victims’ families to get such money from? It is not their fault but that of the police which allowed them to slip away. As I write this on Tuesday night, one of the landlords was said to have been freed.  This is good news, even though it is at a price. May the others also regain their freedom soon. As for the police, they should bury their heads in shame for not doing enough to rescue the landlords last Saturday.

    KSA at 70

    CALL him KSA, King Sunny Ade, Sunday Adegeye or simply Sunny, the public will instantly recognise the person you are talking about. KSA is a household name. People like me grew up to know the man and the artiste through his music. It was in the days that Juju musicians were virtually at war with one another – call it imaginary war, you may not be wrong because it was what their fans imagined. Whenever KSA sang, listeners believed that he was taking a jibe at Commander Ebenezer Obey and vice versa. Though it was all in our imagination, the artistes themselves fueled it with the kind of songs they sang. The Yoruba call it orin ote. Whether orin ote or not, we enjoyed it and sang along with them. To disabuse people’s minds, the guitar wizard (anjonu onijita) sang: Bi Sunny Ade ba nkorin wa ni Obey lo banwi, bi Obey ba nko ti e, wa ni Sunny lo banwi… The song did not douse tension. Their fans continued to shout wolf where the musicians claimed there was none.

    Speaking musically, the late 1960s and 1970s belonged to Sunny and Obey on the Juju scene and it is  a credit to them that they are still standing tall today despite the challenge from other stars. Sunny and Obey were not the only stars in the firmament, but they overshadowed others to make their mark. They remain a success till today because first luck smiled on them and second they did not rest on their oars. They did not allow their success to get into their heads. KSA did not start as a musician. He was in the theatre group of the legendary comedian Moses Adejumo aka Baba Sala when fate changed the course of his life for good. Baba Sala encouraged him to take the plunge by telling him: lo try e wo, with a caveat that he could come back to the drama group if things did not work out fine. As the master guitarist said in a recent interview as part of activities to mark his 70th birthday, he is still on that lo try e wo, some 45 years after. As he celebrates the biblical three scores plus 10 today, we wish him many happy returns of the day. May his fount of music never dry.

  • Police rescues 14 abducted oil workers in Rivers

    Police rescues 14 abducted oil workers in Rivers

    The Rivers Police Command said it has rescued 14 oil workers abducted by unknown gunmen on Sept. 2 along Elele-Omoku road.

    The command`s spokesman, Mr Nnamdi Omoni, a DSP, said in a statement in Port Harcourt that the workers were freed in the early hours of Sunday.

    Omoni said the Command`s Tactical Units, engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle, which lasted for one and half hours, to rescue the victims.

    “The Oil Workers were rescued unhurt due largely to the efforts of the Command’s Tactical Units, who, at the early hours of Sept. 18,engaged the hoodlums, in a fierce gun battle which lasted for one and half hours, leading to the rescue of the victims.

    “The hoodlums took to flight abandoning their hostages. Efforts are on to arrest and bring them to justice,” he said.

    Omoni said no ransom was paid to rescue the workers.

    “They have been debriefed and are receiving medical attention in the hospital.

    “Investigation is on-going at the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit,” he said.

    Omoni said that the police was determined to fight all forms of criminality and crime in the state.

    He appealed to residents to give the police useful information that would assist it achieve set objectives.

  • Police rescue abducted baby in Umuahia

    Police rescue abducted baby in Umuahia

    The Commissioner of Police in Abia, Mr Leye Oyebade on Wednesday said that men of the command had rescued a 15-month-old baby girl allegedly stolen from her mother.

    Oyebade, who said this while briefing newsmen on some of the major achievements of the command, noted that the baby was stolen on Monday in Umuahia.

    He said that the suspected abductors, identified as Lawan Nuhu and Lawal Ahmed, took away the little Chinonye after drugging her mother, Mrs Chioma Chijindu at their residence at No. 8 Ohafia Street, Umuahia.

    He said that the suspects were arrested following a tip off, while N170,000 cash and  a 307 Peugeot car with Reg. No. AZ 166 KWL, were recovered from them.

    “During investigation, the suspects confessed that they drugged the baby’s mother before escaping with the baby,” Oyebade said.

    He warned parents to be vigilant about the activities of their neighbours and strangers in their areas.

    The police commissioner also said that no fewer than 12 other people were arrested in connection with alleged criminal activities, including vandalism, armed robbery and car snatching.

    According to him, three suspected vandals, identified as Obirinachi Chijioke, Chigoziem Okereke

    and Ikemsinachi Okereke, were arrested in Obikabia in Obingwa Local Government Area, following a distress call from a resident.

    Oyebade said that they were arrested while they were allegedly vandalising electricity transformer belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.

    “My men moved in and arrested the three suspects but two escaped,’’.

    According to him, the police are on the trail of two other suspects still at large.

    He said that the police had also arrested Joseph Godwin, who resides at Ogwo Road, off Ohanku Road, Aba, for allegedly killing his neighbour, Joel Effiong, a businessman in Aba on August 31.

    He said that all the suspects currently in police custody would be charged to court at the end of ongoing investigations by the police.

    Oyebade said that the command also arrested Ugorji Uche and Okoronkwo Chibuike, natives of Atani in Arochukwu, for allegedly stealing a Mitsubushi L300 bus with Reg. No. ATN 607 ZK.

    He said that the vehicle belonged to Jeremiah Igwe of Obosi in Anambra state, adding that the suspects had been transferred to Anambra state police command for further action.

    The commissioner of police expressed delight over the exploit of his men and commended residents of the state for assisting the command with useful information.

    He promised that the command would not rest on its oars until crime and criminality had been “reduced to the barest minimum in the state’’.

    “This is the reason my men have been working round the clock to checkmate the activities of criminals in the state,” Oyebade said.

    He listed items recovered from the suspects to include different kinds of arms and ammunition, electronic gadgets such as plasma television sets, tricycles and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.

     

  • Man docked over abduction of teenage girl in Lagos

    Man docked over abduction of teenage girl in Lagos

    A 36-year-old man, Ezechi Uwazie who allegedly abducted a 17-year-old girl, has appeared before a Surulere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

    The accused is facing a two-count charge of abduction and fraud.

    The Prosecutor, Sgt. Christopher Okoliko, told the court that the accused committed the offences with others still at large at Suru-Alaba in Orile-Iganmu area of Lagos on Aug.19 at 12.00 p.m.

    According to him, the accused walked up to the girl and presented himself as an importer, who is in search of the place where his goods are kept.

    “The girl, who was sent to the bank by her boss, described how he can get to Cele Bus Stop in Okota, Lagos.

    “The man insisted that she should take him to the place claiming that he was new in Lagos.

    “Suddenly, a man, who is also an accomplice, came to meet the girl, pretending that he did not know the man, suggested that they should accompany the man to the place.

    “The girl became unconscious and accepted the offer and they boarded a bus heading to Cele Bus Stop.

    “When they alighted from the bus, they told the girl that they should take a bus heading to Ejigbo, but the girl insisted that she cannot help again.

    “When they were at Cele Bus Stop, a man, who noticed that something was fishy, went to a nearby police station to report,’’ Okoliko said.

    “In the course of the argument, the accomplice pretending to be a Good Samaritan saw the man coming with a policeman and absconded.

    “The `fake importer’ was immediately arrested.’’

    The offences contravened Sections 141 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

    The Magistrate, Mrs. M.I. Dan-Oni, granted the accused bail in the sum of 200,000 with two reliable sureties in like sum.

    The sureties must be gainfully employed and must show evidence of tax payment to the state government, she said.

    The case was adjourned to Sept.13 for trial.