The Nation Newspaper

Tag: germans

  • Kidnapped Germans freed in Kaduna

    Kidnapped Germans freed in Kaduna

    •El-Rufai hails police 

    German archaeologist Prof. Peter Breunig and his aide, Johannes Buringer, who were kidnapped in Kaduna State, have been released.

    Police spokesman Aliyu Usman, who confirmed their release yesterday, said the command deployed special anti-kidnapping, anti-rustling forces, in addition to special forces deployed by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, towards the mission.

    He added that the forces are still on the trail of the kidnappers, vowing that they will be arrested and prosecuted.

    “Our utmost priority as a responsive police force is to rescue the abducted Germans; and we have successfully done that through the collaborative efforts of security operatives.

    “We are on the trail of the kidnappers; we will arrest and prosecute them,” Usman said.

    He, however, did not say whether a ransom was paid for the release or not.

    Governor Nasir El-Rufai has lauded the police for securing the victim’s release.

  • Abducted Germans regain freedom

    The abducted German archaeologist, Prof. Peter Breunij, and his research assistant, Johannes Buringer, have been freed.

    This was contained in a statement by Samuel Aruwan, Special Assistant to the Kaduna State Governor on Media and Publicity isssued on Sunday in Kaduna

    Aruwan said Gov Nasir El-Rufai had expressed delight and commended the security agencies for their efforts in securing the release of the Germans.

    The Germans were kidnapped on Feb 22 at an archeological excavation site in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    They have been working at the Nok Archeology Centre Kagoro in the last 10 years.

    Two persons were killed during the incident (NAN )

  • Police launches manhunt on kidnappers of Germans

    The Nigeria Police have launched manhunt on kidnappers of two a German Archeologists.

The Germans were kidnapped in the early hours of  Wednesday by unknown gunmen in Janjala area of Kaduna state.

The gunmen allegedly kidnapped Prof. Peter Breunig, Mr. Johannes Behringer and killed two  locals.

To however forestall future incident, the Police have asked foreigners to request and obtain police escorts to protect them any time they are embarking on research, mining, and related endeavours outside the towns and cities across the country.

The police noted that the researchers went to escavation site with locales instead of the police escort assigned to them.

The police however noted that efforts are being made to search and rescue the two victims unhurt and arrest the pepetrators.

On the efforts made, the Force Spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood said yesterday in Abuja: "The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris concerned with the unfortunate incident of the kidnap of the two German Archeologist, in an excavation site at Janjala area of Kagarko LGA of Kaduna, deployed Special Police Forces comprising the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), the Anti Kidnapping Unit, the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), the Police Mobile Force, Police Surveillance Helicopters and Special Investigation Team on kidnapping and terrorism Cases under the Command of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations to Janjala Village under Kagarko LGA of Kaduna State to search and rescue the two Germans unhurt and arrest the perpetrators.

"The team is already on the ground working in synergy with the Kaduna State Police Command and the local indigenes of towns and surrounding villages where these German Archaeologists were kidnapped. 

Moshood further expalined: "Though the two Germans archaeologists have Police officers attached to them for their protection at the NOK Archaeology Research Project Centre, they did not go with the Policemen to the excavation site where they were kidnapped.

" Two locals in the company of the German archaeologists were killed during the kidnap attack.

The Force Spokesman also noted the special forces and police investigators deployed are in contact with the colleagues of the victims and have provided additonal security for their safety.

 To also achieve prompt result, the DIG in charge of Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department has also been mandated to cordinate the investigation aspect of the operations.

On the proliferation of arms and how it has increased the rate of kidnapping, Moshood said: "the IGP has directed that senior police officers should mop up arms and ammunition from unlawful hands.

 "We have the prohibited firearms and the ones that people can use for gaming and others that are restricted but even then, they are suppose to obtain licence. He said they should mop it up.

"The crisis within the sub-region is a problem to Nigeria because there is conflict in Libya, part of Sudan, we equally have in Central African Republic and we have problems of insurgency. We are mindful of these facts and that is why the IGP has directed that the arms be mopped up.  

On whether the kidnappers have contacted families of the victims, the police said: "the IGP acted promptly because the kidnap was done early hours of Wednesday and as I speak, Police helicopter is on ground surveying, combing all the mountainous difficult terrain to ensure that we rescue these victims. 

"For the purpose of the safety of the victims, I won't divulge what we have achieved so far so that we can have success without delay. The IG has howver assured that they would be rescued alive.

A source close to the investigation told The Nation that kidnappers are yet to contact families of the victims.

He said : "the team are already in Kaduna and we are still working on tracking the kidnappers. The kidnappers are yet to contact us or families of the victims and that is what is stalling us".

  • IGP deploys special forces to rescue kidnapped Germans 

    ….Orders arrest of criminals

     

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has deployed special forces to Janjala in Kaduna State with a mandate to rescue the two German archaeologists kidnapped Wednesday morning.

    The forces comprising Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Technical Intelligence Unit (TIU), the Anti Kidnapping Unit, the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), the Police Mobile Force, Police Surveillance Helicopters and Special Investigation Team on kidnapping and terrorism were also mandated to capture the kidnappers dead or alive.

    The Germans were kidnapped around 8:55am at an excavation site at Janjala in Kagarko LGA were they worked in collaboration with the National Commission for Museum and Monuments on the relics of NOK Culture.

    Two of the locals who were with them when the gunmen attacked were killed.

    According to a statement signed by the Force Headquarters spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, a Chief Superintendent of Police  (CSP) the special forces were already on ground in Kaduna and working with the state command.

    He said: “Concerned with the unfortunate incident, the IGP Ibrahim Idris has deployed Special forces under the command of Deputy Inspector General of Police, Department of Operations to Janjala Village to search and rescue the two Germans unhurt and arrest the perpetrators.

    “The team is already on the ground working in synergy with the Kaduna State Police Command and the local indigenes of towns and surrounding villages where these German Archaeologists were kidnapped.

    “Though the two German archaeologists have Police officers attached to them for their protection at the NOK Archaeology Research Project Centre, they did not go with the Policemen to the excavation site where they were kidnapped.

    “The Special Forces and Police Investigators deployed are in contact with the colleagues of the victims and have provided additional security for their safety.

    “In order to achieve prompt result, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department has also been mandated to coordinate the investigation aspect of the operations.

    “The Nigeria Police Force while assuring all Nigerians and foreign Nationals in the country of their safety, wishes to implore them to always request and obtain Police escort to protect them any time they are embarking on research, mining and related endeavours outside the towns and cities across the country.”

  • ‘Let’s emulate the Germans’

    The FUNAAB Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olusola Oyewole, has challenged aspiring entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the education sector to learn from the German government which upgraded its polytechnics to universities.

    Oyewole threw the challenge while inaugurating an eight-week intensive skill acquisition training organised by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies (CENTS) of the university.

    He expressed optimism that such conversion will afford the participants the impetus to acquire first-hand-skills required in their various fields of specialization.

    Oyewole praised CENTS for taking steps to ensure that FUNAAB students are equipped with additional skills that will stand them out after graduation.

    He said such skills would strengthen the certificates issued by Nigerian universities.

    “Our certificate is not worthless; if you have knowledge and it is not applied, it becomes useless. What we are doing is to ensure that the certificate of FUNAAB is different from others,” he said.

    Speaking earlier, the Director, CENTS, Prof. Olufemi Onifade, said the skills acquisition programme will be the first to be organised since CENTS was established in 2011.

    The various skills training provided by CENTS included fashion designing, automation and fabrication, clothing and textile, events management, hotel management, construction/plumbing, fish farming, forex trading and shoe making.

    Others are poultry production/hatchery, furniture making, jewellery making; creche management and Web design among others.