The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kidnap

  • IGP deploys special anti-kidnapping squad to Abia

    Mr Ene Okon, the Commissioner of Police in Abia, said the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, has deployed his Special Technical Squad to assist the Abia command in the fight against kidnapping.

    Ene said this at a meeting he held with Aba residents, Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) members and policemen in the divisions under the Aba Area Command on Tuesday.

    He said: “Already I have anti-kidnapping team here in Aba. I have fortified them, given them a vehicle, an office accommodation in Aba outside the area command and approved extra manpower for them.

    “Let me give you one more cheering news. I was in Abuja after the elections when kidnapping reared up its ugly head here in Aba and I discussed with the IGP.

    “Luckily, yesterday, the IGP dispatched his Special Technical Squad to come and meet me in Abia and they are coming with their technical equipment.

    “They are coming to cover the whole of Aba and I expect them by next week,” he said, adding that “they are to remain here and fight it out.”

    Ene said that crime and criminality escalated in the country after the civil war, pointing out that “since crime and criminality are dynamic, they now require technology to fight, accordingly.”

    He said that Section 214 of the Constitution, which established the police, was made by the people, who are members of the community, hence it could be rightly said that the police are owned by the people.

    He said that Section 216 assigns the police with the duties to protect lives and property, maintain law and order in the society, adding that the people as “creators of the police have their obligations also to the police.”

    He, therefore, called on the people to assist the police perform their duties satisfactorily by being law-abiding, volunteering information and supporting police efforts.

    The police boss urged policemen, who he described as “servants to the people,” to treat the people with respect as their paymasters.

    He said he would not tolerate acts of indiscipline, crime and criminality, corrupt practices and abuse of citizen’s rights among policemen.

    He said that he was made to understand that every policeman in Abia was desirous to serve in Aba in order to engage in corrupt practices and make money, warning that he would soon transfer some of them out of the city.
    He urged the police to make discipline their watchword and thanked the PCRC for its immense contribution to the success of the command.

    In their separate remarks, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Central Police Station, Aba, DPO, Uratta-Eziukwu and DPO, Ndiegoro, CSP Abii Onyeulor, CSP Princewill Ekeocha, and SP Emeka Oganyi, respectively, thanked the CP for his visit.

    They appealed to him to beef up the manpower in their various divisions, provide them with functional patrol vehicles and motorcycles and post more male officers to make their work easier.

    In his speech, the Aba Area Commander, ACP Peter Opara, urged the CP to consider the request of the DPOs and help out where possible.

  • Police partner telecoms companies to curb kidnapping

    The Nigeria Police Force and telecommunication companies have disclosed their readiness to establish a nationwide surveillance system, aimed at reducing cases of kidnapping and other crimes in the country.

    The system is expected to be connected to the existing Global System of Mobile (GSM) cell sites across the country.

    The Police revealed that all the telecommunication companies will provide cameras that will be installed on each telecoms masts across the country.

    This was disclosed by the Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Mohammed Adamu at the Force headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday during a meeting with telecommunication stakeholders

    The IG who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Information and Communication Technology, DIG Godwin Nwobodo said the interventions will help curb the rate of kidnapping which he said has reached an alarming and embarrassing level.

    He said: “The advent of Global System of Mobile (GSM), communication in Nigeria brought about a lot of positive innovations including integrating the country into the globalized world. These positive trends came with attendant negatives such as increase in crimes including increase in armed robbery, transnational crimes, insurgency and kidnapping among others.

    “It is common knowledge that GSM communications enhances planning and coordination of these criminal activities. These crimes especially kidnapping has become so prevalent all over the country and has reached an alarming embarrassing level, necessitating urgent and drastic interventions.”

    On how the partnership will work, the IG said: “The intervention from the NPF and sister security agencies will necessitate partnering with telecommunications companies in deploying a nationwide surveillance system via the existing GSM cell site.

    “This will entail the provision of two surveillance Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras each by the telecoms companies on all telecom masts across the country. The camera is cost effective and has a great outdoor performance and is currently used in China and Dubai. The cameras with their Internet Protocol (IP) address will in turn be remotely connected to the nearest Divisional Police Stations, Area Commands, Command and Control centre or server room at the police headquarters, Abuja.

    “The telecoms operators are mandated to provide at least 200 sim card per state to be used by the police body cam and vehicular system with unlimited data plan to support the project as part of their corporate social responsibility.”

    He also urged the telecommunication providers to give it access to short code or emergency number ‘199’ or ‘999’.

    He said: “Before now, the defunct NITEL provided short code emergency number 199 that is routed to all police control rooms nationwide but when NITEL stopped functioning, this service became unavailable to the Force.

    “I wish to urge all stakeholders in the telecommunication service providers to help the Force in providing access to short code or emergency number 199 or 999 that will be designated to the Force to be routed to all our control rooms nationwide. This will help us in serving you better and discharge our statutory function to the nation.”

    The Force also urged the stakeholders to assist it in establishment of an ICT Centre and e-library that will enhance its capability.

    Also speaking, the chairman of Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Engr. Gbenga Adebayo while pledging the support of the stakeholders, urged the IG to direct his men to protect its infrastructure and not to be involved in tampering or preventing access to telecom sites by operating staffs.

    He also sought the support of the IG to arrest and persecute anyone that attempts to vandalise or close down its infrastructure.

    Other request made by Adebayo include: “The IG should direct all police commands to kindly and strictly enforce taxation demands pursuant to court orders only as it were done before  and enforce security of telecoms infrastructure in volatile areas.

    “Telecoms infrastructure in police formations across the country should be free of charge as they also constitute and declare as security infrastructure.”

  • Police parade three kidnappers in Osun

    Three suspected kidnappers were Tuesday paraded by the Assistant Inspector General of Police for zone 11, Adeleye Oyebade, at the Zonal Command in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

    The suspects, Jimoh Adamu Omotayo (32), who is the leader of the armed gang, Abdullahi Budah (52) and Umaru Ahmed (35), allegedly abducted their victim, Salihu Ahmed (46) in his farm at Agboye Village near Okuku, the headquarters of Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, around 8.00 am on February 26, 2019.

    Numbering about five and armed with locally-made single barrel guns, the suspects allegedly blindfolded their victim and took him to a forest in Ikare-Akoko, Ondo State, where has held captive for seventeen days.

    The kidnappers were forced to release the victim without collecting N3 million ransom they had earlier demanded from his family when they noticed that the police were closing up on them.

    Addressing the press before the parade, Oyebade said the arrest was possible because of the upgrade in the police operations and the setting up of a technical platform for intelligence management by the zonal command.

    He said: “The suspects we forced to release their victim without collecting the three million naira ransom earlier demanded following aggressive manhunt for them the police, who they knew were closing up in them. But with the release of the victim by the suspects, the Zonal Technical Intelligence Response Unit led by SP Idowu Fapojuwo went ahead to arrest the suspects in their various hideouts in the state.

    “Upon my assumption of duty as AIG in charge of zone XI Police Command comprising Ondo, Osun and Oyo States, I made a resolution to ensure drastic reduction of heinous crimes in the zone. Various security strategies were put in place to achieve this objective.

    “All these efforts coupled with the recent launch of an additional operational outfit, Operation Puff Adder, are beginning to yield the expected results as the zonal command within a space of time has arrested some suspects for various offenses. While some of the suspects have been arraigned in courts, others are still under investigation.”

  • Police arrest five suspected kidnappers, four cattle rustlers in Taraba

    The Police Command in Taraba on Friday said it had arrested five suspected kidnappers and four cattle rustlers wreaking havoc in the state.

    The state Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Alkasim Sanusi, disclosed this to Journalists at the command headquarters in Jalingo.

    Sanusi said operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) arrested the suspected kidnappers when they attempted to collect ransom from families of kidnapped victims.

    “The five suspected kidnappers were arrested when they went to collect ransom with a stolen motor cycle.

    “The suspects are at the moment helping us with useful information to enable us to arrest their colleagues at large,” he said.

    Sanusi advised kidnap victims across the state to visit the state headquarters and witness the identification parade of the suspected kidnappers.

    He urged the people of the state, especially families of victims of kidnap to always be courageous to volunteer information to the police any time ransom was demanded by the hoodlums.

    Sanusi disclosed that the command, similarly, arrested four cattle rustlers who had been wreaking havoc on cow owners in the state and recovered 58 cows from them.

    He said that the 58 cows would be handed over to the owners.

    The CP appealed to the people to always provide timely information to the police to enable the command curb kidnapping and other criminal activities in the state.

  • Police rescue man abducted in Imo

    Anambra State Police command on Friday said it has rescued a man abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in Owerri, Imo State.

    The Police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, in a statement in Awka, said the victim, Obinna Davidson, was rescued around Oba in Idemili South local government area of Anambra state.

    He said the victim was abducted by the kidnappers when his car and headed towards Onitsha before he was rescued.

    Mohammed explained: “On the 25/04/2019 at about 10:30pm, following intelligence report from Owerri in Imo state that gunmen suspected to be kidnappers abducted one Obinna Davidson with his Red Lexus Car model GS 300 Registration No EHM 32 EHRH and headed towards Onitsha in Anambra State.

    “Following the distress, Patrol teams attached to Operation Udoka were alerted who later traced the hoodlums to a secluded flat located inside a bush around Oba area.

    READ ALSO: Police release father of abducted five-day old baby in Kogi

    “Victim was rescued unhurt and his vehicle recovered. Hoodlums escaped through the rear fence into the bush.

    “Two AK47 riffles with ten rounds of live ammunition as well as one Beretta pistol with ten rounds of .9mm ammunition were recovered during a search conducted inside the building.”

    Mohammed added that the scene was cordoned off while efforts were intensified to apprehend the fleeing suspects.

    In another development, one Collins Ike was arrested for allegedly being in possession of stolen vehicles in Nkpor, Idemili North LGA of the state.

    Mohammed said preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was a receiver of stolen vehicles.

    “Two Honda CRV vehicles with REG numbers AL 291 GRA black in colour and PR 226 AAA were recovered from the suspect including the one earlier reported stolen,” he said.

    He said the case was being investigated while efforts were also on to apprehend the fleeing accomplices.

  • Soldiers rescue kidnapped retired nurse, septuagenarian

    Operatives of the Nigerian Army attached to Alfa Company 144 Battalion, Osisioma Abia State have reportedly rescued two residents of the commercial nerve of the state kidnapped from their homes by gunmen.

    Investigation revealed the Alfa Company 144 Battalion personnel also recovered an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) belonging to one of the kidnapped victims, a 45 year-old Aba based businessman.

    Sources at the army formation disclosed that its personnel were also on the trail of a gang that kidnapped and collected ransom from the businessman whom they were said to have kidnapped near his house along Obingwa Local Government Area Headquarters.

    According to the sources, they have been able to link recent kidnapping activities in the commercial town and its environs to a particular group of armed men that operate within the Obingwa LGA axis whose use the Abala region of the local council as their escape route when being trailed by security agencies.

    A source at the army facility, who spoke anonymously, disclosed that one of the rescued victims, one Chinasa Johnson, a retired nurse was kidnapped in front of her residence at Abayi in Osisioma LGA.

    The source stated that after a distress call was put across to them, they quickly went into action and traced the gang at their location at Aro Ngwa, off Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt expressway where the gang on sighting the soldiers, fled to an unknown location.

    The source, who said that the female victim was taken to the hospital for medical attention, disclosed that the kidnappers inflicted deep cut on her hand within the 4hrs she was in the custody.

    Speaking on the release of the 75-year-old man, the source disclosed the septuagenarian was whisked away on gunpoint by some young boys armed to the teeth, numbering seven who stormed the victim’s Obingwa country home in tricycles.

    “When the guys went away with the victim, the locals alerted our men who went into action and after intensive efforts, rescued the man after they abandoned him and ran into the bush after they noticed that we are on their trail.

    READ ALSO: Man hires kidnappers to abduct parents

    “The 45-year-old businessman was kidnapped in front of his house somewhere off Obikabia junction.

    “They initially drove the man and a female passenger, but on suspecting that the car had tracker, they asked the female passenger if she knows how to drive.

    “She said yes, they had to order her to drive the car while they moved on with their victim.

    “It was the female passenger that alerted us and by the time we could swing into action, the hoodlums had collected the man’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card to withdraw the ransom from an ATM and later abandoned him.

    “From our investigation, the recent kidnapping activities in Aba and its environs are coordinated by this group. We are however not relenting on our oars.

    “We are on the trail of members of the gang. We are closing in on them and I can assure you that in no distant time, we shall swoop on them.”

  • Man hires kidnappers to abduct parents

    Two persons, Akpos Jonny, aged 35 and Samson Oturu aged 31, have been arrested for planning to kidnap one Mr. Okundaye Austine and his wife.

    They were said to have plotted to carry out the operation at No 25, Akhigbe Street, Usen quarters, Egor local government area.

    Police sources said they were on the trail of a son of the victim, Kingsley, who allegedly hired the kidnappers to abduct his mother

    Akpos said they were arrested while taking photographs of the victim.

    He said, “Somebody told us to kidnap his person. I went there and was taking photographs of the man when he noticed me. That was how I was arrested.”

    Police Commissioner, Damallam Abubakar, said the suspects confessed that they were hired by Kingsley to kidnap his mother.

    READ ALSO: Kidnappers demand N3m ransom for Fire Service chief

    He said efforts were on to arrest fleeing Kingsley.

    The police also arrested one Joseph Christopher of Ugun Community in Ebelle who allegedly killed his three years old daughter, Dominion.

    Joseph was said to have taken his daughter to a farm where he stated and strangulated her to death.

    Danmallam said Joseph has confessed to the crime.

    He said the suspects would soon be charged to court when investigation has been concluded.

  • Four robbery, kidnap suspects held in Edo

    The Edo Command of the Nigeria Police says it has arrested four armed robbery and kidnap suspects.

    The command’s spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, said in a statement that the suspects were arrested based on credible intelligence through the Directorate of State Security (DSS).

    He said the office of the IGP had alerted that the suspects were planning coordinated attacks against police formations.

    Nwabuzor said that based on this, Edo Commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed DanMallam, directed the tactical team of the command to go after the suspects.

    He said a robust raiding, coding and search were conducted within Auchi axis of the state, which led to the arrest of the suspects on Friday.

    Nwabuzor said some items recovered from the suspects included a vehicle, one Pump Action, two locally made guns, 20 live cartridges, charms, two face masks and a pair of police mobile force uniform.

  • Court gives Evans last chance to get a lawyer

    An Ikeja High Court on Friday gave suspected billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike alias Evans till May 10 to get a counsel to defend the criminal charges against him.

    Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo told Evans, whose case has suffered three adjournments following his failure to secure legal representation, that he had only three options.

    Evans could defend himself, get a new counsel or the court would appoint a legal aid counsel for him, the court said.

    The judge gave the warning following the third consecutive absence of Evans’ lawyer, Mr Olanrewaju Ajanaoku.

    Ajanaoku, who skipped the last proceedings over issues of unpaid legal fees, had earlier informed the court, through a letter, that Evans’ family was yet to perfect their brief, in terms of financial commitment.

    Evans is standing trial alongside Joseph Ikenna Emeka, 29, Chiemeka Arinze, 39, Udeme Frank Upong, 43, on a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to kidnap and selling of firearms.

    At the commencement of Friday’s proceedings, Chief State Prosecution Counsel, Adebayo Haroun, prayed the court to invoke Section 233 (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) which empowers the court to appoint a counsel for the defendant.

    Haroun said: “Where the defendant fails to secure legal representation, the court has the discretion to order the legal aid counsel to provide a representation for the first defendant, Evans.

    “This is the third adjournment taken at the instance of the first defendant. So, we urge Your Lordship to invoke Section 233 of the ACJL if the defendant fails to provide a counsel on the next adjournment.”

    The prosecutor also informed the court that his witness, a police officer, Inspector Idowu Haruna, attached to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT), was present to resume his evidence.

    Read Also: Court gives Evans last chance to get a lawyer

    Responding, Justice Taiwo warned Evans of the consequences of his failure to get a new counsel.

    Justice Taiwo said, “I have told you (referring to Evans) the options; defend yourself, get a new counsel or I’ll appoint a legal aid counsel for you.

    “This case is not just for you, there are other defendants involved. Therefore, the liberty of the second, third, and fourth defendants, who also demand justice, is also at stake. And justice delayed is justice denied.

    “In the circumstances, I’ll adjourn this matter till May 10 and the first defendant must provide a counsel.

    “However, in the absence of the counsel for the first defendant, on the next adjourned date, this court will invoke Section 233 (3) of the ACJL and order the representation of the legal aid counsel for him,” the judge said.

  • Man kidnapped on his wedding day in Nasarawa

    The last two weeks have witnessed serial kidnappings and murder in Nasarawa state, especially in Nasarawa local government, as one Kamilu Dalhatu of Bursery Department of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa was kidnapped alongside three of his friends on his wedding day.

    They were kidnapped on Saturday, 16th March, 2019 on their way to Nasarawa from Udege-Mbeki having attended the wedding ceremony. They were later released after their families paid an undisclosed amount to the abductors as ransom.

    In a related development, Alhaji Jibrin M. Usman, the Managing Director, Nasarawa Micro Finance Bank, also in Nasarawa local government was kidnapped at his Marmara residence on Sunday, 24th March, 2019. He, like others, was released after payment of an undisclosed amount to his abductors.

    A newly wedded man by the name Shuaibu Owuna was reportedly murdered in cold blood by unknown gunmen on his way to Nasarawa from Onda. He was said to have wedded last Saturday, 23rd March, 2019 at Onda, his community.

    Similarly, gunmen on Wednesday attacked vehicles along the busy AkwangaAkwanga-Akwanga-Keffi expressway kidnapping four women in the process.

    Chairman of Correspondents’ Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists in Nasarawa State, Suleiman Abubakar’s wife, Yahanasu Abubakar, was among those kidnapped.

    Suleiman told newsmen that the incident happened around 7:00 p.m. along Gudi-Garaku road in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state.

    He further disclosed that negotiations for the release of the women was ongoing as the kidnappers have demanded for N5 million ransom.