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Tag: kidnappers

  • Kidnappers demand N260m for abducted children in Edo

    Kidnappers demand N260m for abducted children in Edo

    Kidnappers have demanded the sum of N260m as ransom to release four children abducted at Eko-Abeku-Iyowa road, within Evboneka community, Ovia North-East local government area.

    The children were said to have been abducted on Monday at about 5 pm while returning from school.

    Other victims that were abducted alongside the children were a nursing mother and her two younger sisters.

    Father of some of the victims, Festus Bamidele, said the abductors released the nursing mother and her small baby after a heavy rainfall.

    He said three other victims of pre-kg classes were also rescued by security operatives.

    Bamidele said the victims remaining with the kidnappers were two of his children, his younger sister, and a sister-in-law.

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    He said the kidnappers have contacted the family and are demanding the sum of ₦260 million ransom.

    Edo Police Spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem, confirmed the incident and said five of the victims were rescued while four were taken away.

    “The command, in collaboration with hunters and vigilantes, has launched an intensive bush combing exercise for the kidnappers, with efforts ongoing to rescue the remaining victims.”

    Meanwhile, operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested two suspected kidnappers while on patrol along the Auchi–Igarra Highway, Edo North.

     Ikoedem said the suspects were identified as members of a kidnapping syndicate.

    The statement read, “The Edo State Police Command has recorded significant successes in the fight against kidnapping through proactive patrols and sustained intelligence-led operations in Igarra and its environs, in line with the crime-fighting strategies of the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc.

    “On 28 January 2026 at about 13:30hrs, operatives of the Igarra Area Command, while on duty at their traditional nipping point along the Auchi–Igarra Highway, arrested two suspected kidnappers identified as Muhammed Muamadu Haru ‘M’, aged 35 years, and Abubakar Muhammed Haruna ‘M’, aged 25 years.

    “The suspects were identified by a vigilante member as members of a kidnapping syndicate during an exchange of fire in one of the joint Bush Combing rescue operations.

    “Upon recognition, the suspects attempted to escape into the bush but were quickly intercepted and arrested. Investigation is still in progress.

    “In a related development on Monday, 2 February 2026, at about 17:00hrs, a convoy of motorcycle patrol teams from the Igarra Area Command foiled a kidnapping operation along the Auchi–Igarra Express Road. The patrol team intercepted three suspected kidnappers who were about to block the road.

    “The suspects fled into the forest after a hot chase, abandoning items suspected to be logistics for criminal operations, including food items, mobile phones, jack knives, and other personal effects. Sustained bush-combing of the area is ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.”

  • Kidnappers of hotel lodgers in Edo reduce ransom to N40m

    Kidnappers of hotel lodgers in Edo reduce ransom to N40m

    Abductors of eight persons from a hotel in Ibillo, Akoko-Edo local government area have reduced their ransom demand from N100m to N40m.

    The kidnappers dressed in military uniforms to gain access into the hotel where they abducted the owner and seven lodgers.

    Traditional ruler of the town, Okpahi of Imoga Kingdom, Oba Patrick Abudu, said the kidnappers reduced the ransom on Monday evening.

    He said they are negotiating with the kidnappers to reduce the ransom to N20m.

    Read Also: One injured as kidnappers demand N100m ransom for eight victims in Edo

    Oba Abudu said all stakeholders and members of community have been placed om standby to raise the cash after conclusion of negotiations.

    He said: “We have continued to negotiate with the kidnappers and they have agreed to reduce the ransom to N40 million. But we hope the can bring it down to N20 million.

    “Our people are on standby to raise the money for the ransom. And payment will be made as soon as the cash is complete.

    “We are worried over the safety of our people as it has been five days since they were kidnapped.”

  • Kidnappers kill victim in Edo

    Kidnappers kill victim in Edo

    Abu Momoh, one of the two brothers abducted last weekend in Auchi, headquarters of Etsako West Local Government Area, has been killed by their abductors.

    Late Abu was kidnapped with brother, Ibrahim, a medical doctor, on January 2 at their residence along City Pride Road, Igbira Camp, Auchi, Edo North.

    Their father, Tahir Momoh, who confirmed the killing, said the corpse was discovered on Monday morning.

    He said he has been buried.

    “It is true that he was killed. He is the younger of the two brothers and he has been buried. The elder brother is still with the kidnappers.

    “This is a very sad day for us and we hope that his elder will be released to us,” he said.

    Checks showed that Abu was killed along Orley River, Down City Pride road, Igbira Camp.

    A community source said he was shot dead while trying to escape.

    “I was told that he attempted an escape and he was shot by the kidnappers.”

    Read Also: Kidnappers abduct medical doctor in Edo

    One of the leaders of Auchi community, Abdul urged the police to focus on the Igbira camp due to incessant kidnappings in the area.

     He said many persons have been abducted within the vicinity.

    “I think it’s time the police beam a searchlight on the Igbira community in Auchi as the number of kidnapping around that area is alarming.

    “The problem is these boys don’t want to work but are looking for easy money. The earlier their criminal activities are halted, the better for Auchi and other communities around that area.

    “The government should also take action so that the people can see that they are important,” he stated. 

  • Designating bandits, kidnappers as terrorists

    Designating bandits, kidnappers as terrorists

    Federal government’s last week’s designation of bandits, kidnappers or any group that engages in similar criminalities as terrorists is very welcome. But it has long been overdue. But Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris betrayed official prevarication on the issue while announcing the decision when he said the era of ambiguous nomenclature is over.

    “Henceforth, any armed group or individual that kidnaps our children, attacks farmers, and terrorises our communities is officially classified and will be dealt with as a terrorist”, he said.

    The minister captured the seeming duplicity in the previous handling of killings when he stated emphatically that – “Now the era of ambiguous nomenclature is over, if you terrorise our people, whether you are a group or you are an individual, you are a terrorist and will be classified as such. There is no name hiding this again”.

    Though the government did not explicitly name the groups under reference, armed killer groups such as bandits, killer herdsmen and sundry kidnappers fit into this categorisation. They have been involved in attacks and killings in our communities, kidnapping for ransom and abduction of school children.

    The new stance by the government marks a significant departure from the previous order of treating mass kidnapping, abductions and rural attacks as ordinary crimes. By this, the full weight of counterterrorism will be deployed to confront the criminals behind these attacks.

    It is heart-refreshing that the government is coming to terms with the mortal challenges posed by the activities of the so-called bandits, militant herdsmen, sundry kidnappers and an assortment of non-state actors challenging its authority and legitimacy. Before now, government’s handling of the criminal challenges by these groups had left discerning Nigerians doubting its seriousness in decisively taming the monster.

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    The body language of the last administration on the twin issues of banditry and insurgency of the herdsmen did not help matters either.  What we saw were rather strident efforts to rationalise the killings especially by herdsmen as communal or herder-farmer clashes spurred by climate change, pressure on land and migration challenges. These were the common terms deployed to obfuscate and conceal well planned and well targeted attacks to kill, displace and occupy targeted communities.

    What of the alibi that the killer herdsmen were foreigners who got their arms and ammunitions when Libya under Ghaddafi was collapsing? That was how late President Muhammadu Buhari explained away the attacks and killings in the Middle Belt when he interfaced with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

    He told the Archbishop that the problem has always been there, but now made worse by the influx of gunmen from the Sahel region into different parts of West Africa: “They were trained and armed by Muammar Ghaddafi of Libya.  When he was killed, the gunmen escaped with their guns. We encountered some of them fighting Boko Haram”, Buhari had said.

    That has been the level of official narrative that obfuscated clear understanding of the characters behind the apparent invincibility of the killer herdsmen, the source of their sophisticated arms and ammunitions, their purpose and overall objective. But the communities at the receiving end have not been under any illusion as to their attackers and their motivation. Not with the displacement of the natives and renaming of apparently conquered and displaced communities.

    Curiously, as this official prevarication and denial of the potent danger the insurgency of the herdsmen portends, Global Terrorism Watch had as far back as 2015 listed Fulani militants as the fourth most deadly terrorist group in the world coming after ISIS, Al-Qaida and Al Shabab.

    Perhaps, the other group that has not been clearly decoded and understood is the so-called bandits. They made their debut into Nigeria’s insecurity matrix not long ago. At some point, they were taken for renegade Boko Haram insurgents or killer herdsmen.

    But the characters behind the mask were seemingly unveiled when fiery Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi interfaced with them in Zamfara forests. In the discussions he had with them, they listed their grievances as cattle rustling, attacks by natives of Zamfara on the roads and attacks by the security agencies.

    Gumi has been canvassing a lot of options from the federal government to rein them in. These range from the mundane to the very absurd. Of late, he went beyond amnesty advocacy to ask that they should be included in the budget by the federal government. He went very strange when a fortnight ago, he sought to rationalise mass abductions by bandits on the premise of being better than the killing of soldiers.

    Ironically, this official duplicity has allowed the terrorism of the herdsmen and bandits to take root such that today Gumi is not only asking that bandits who share no visible dividing line with killer herdsmen, should not be attacked but included in the budget to share resources with other levels of the government. Yet nobody sees anything wrong with it even with the recent conviction of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu for terrorism.

    Nigerians must have heaved a sigh of relief when the federal government announced the designation as a terrorist organisation, any armed group that kidnaps children, attacks farmers, or host communities. It has also come to terms with the deployment of ambiguous nomenclatures to camouflage acts of terrorism by sundry criminals operating in the country.

    For long, questions have been raised about the real identity of the bandits. Curiously, these questions are usually brushed aside because those who control the affairs of the country either share sympathy with, collaborate, or, are the real enablers of the cascading insecurity for one objective or the other.

    It is good a thing President Tinubu has taken up the challenge to call the spade by its real name. Realistic stance on the chequered issues of our national being holds the future for the peace and progress of the country.

    But the government must go beyond words and initiate immediate and measurable interventions to confront the scourge. The bandits’ enclaves and some of their leaders in the forests are known to the security agencies. They have of recent, engaged them in negotiations. And unless they have extracted commitments from them to dismantle their cells within an agreed timeframe, the government should take the war to their hide-outs and smoke them out. That is the message served by the Christmas day strike on terrorists in Sokoto by the United States of America (US)

    Matching words with concrete action will convince the international community of our commitment to stem the spate of insecurity that has diminished the worth of life in our country. 

  • No place for terrorists, kidnappers in Kwara, says Abdulrazaq as forest guards end training

    No place for terrorists, kidnappers in Kwara, says Abdulrazaq as forest guards end training

    About a thousand forest guards had their passing out parade in Kwara State on Saturday ahead of full deployment to curtail the activities of terrorists, kidnappers, and illegal miners, among others. 

    Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq called the initiative a game changer, which he said would leave the terrorists and kidnappers with the option of either leaving the state or paying a heavy prize. 

    He commended President Bola Tinubu for “thinking out of the box” to repossess Nigeria’s forest resources, expel all the bad faith actors occupying the forests, and strengthen public safety. 

    Governor AbdulRazaq also thanked the security forces for their commitment to protect lives, saying a synergy with the new auxiliary forces who were all drawn from local communities will strengthen the campaign to fight terrorists and kidnappers. 

    “Today opens a new page in our campaign against all forms of terrorism, kidnapping, and opportunist attacks on our people by bad faith actors who exploit our vast territories for evil purposes,” he said at the event in Ilorin. 

    The event was attended by all the security commanders in the state, cabinet members, council chairpersons, traditional rulers, and heads of federal and state agencies and tertiary institutions. 

    “The enlistment of armed forest guards to complement the patriotic efforts of our security forces is a game changer in this campaign. It shows very clearly that the government is committed to the mission of ridding our country of all forms of terrorism, banditry, and kidnappings,” the Governor added. 

    “And the message is very clear: more than ever before, the terrorists now have the option of immediately leaving our state or paying a heavy price. 

    “Today’s launch of the forest guards simply means that we are going on the offensive because our people deserve their peace as freeborns. We have had enough! Anyone who thinks or acts otherwise is our enemy who will not be spared. 

    “Distinguished forest guards, you are embarking on a national assignment to protect our people from all criminals in our forests. Working with gallant officers and personnel of the security forces, you are to go all out to flush out the terrorists, restore sanity in our forests, and keep our communities safer than they ever were. 

    “I commend the President of the Federal Republic for this bold policy response to the security situation in our country and the larger Sahel Region. I thank the leadership of the National Security Adviser for pulling this through. I am also confident that all the security forces will work together with the forest guards to end this menace once and for all. 

    “More importantly, I urge the people of Kwara State to work with the security forces and the forest guards to flush out the terrorists and make our state uninhabitable for them. 

    “While the forest guards are auxiliaries under the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Department of State Security, I assure you of our continuous support for this initiative just like we have done throughout your training. 

    “Working with the ONSA, our plan is to ensure that each local government has at least 200 forest guards who will fortify our forests and work with local vigilantes to protect lives and property. 

    “I congratulate all the new forest guards. I thank you for agreeing to serve our state, and I reassure you of our continuous support as you embark on this important national security assignment. 

    “Finally, I thank all the security forces who were involved in the rigorous training programme. You all did so well. God bless you.”

    National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his part, said the newly trained Forest Guards will be deployed immediately to threatened communities in the pilot states, particularly around forested and ungoverned spaces.

    Ribadu said the Presidential Forest Guards initiative is a joint effort between the Federal and State Governments, listing the pilot states to include Adamawa, Borno, Kwara, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Yobe. 

    “The mandate of the forest guards is two-fold. First, they are entrusted with guarding our national heritage and charged with protecting, preserving, and sustainably managing our forest ecosystems, watersheds, wildlife, and biodiversity,” he said. 

    “Second, they serve as a critical force multiplier in our national security architecture, particularly in confronting bandits, insurgents, terrorists, and other criminal elements that are exploiting the vast, ungoverned forest spaces across the country for their heinous crimes.”

    Represented by the Assistant Director General for DSS, Femi Shotayo, the NSA added: “Aside from being first responders, these guards are expected to gather actionable human intelligence, support ongoing security operations, and restore state presence where it has long been absent.”

    He said the deployment of the guards will be immediate along with payment of salaries and allowances.

    Ribadu urged the trainees to abide by their oaths of allegiance to the Nigerian state and to respect human rights, gender rights, and protection of civilians, among other rules of engagement taught at the training. 

    “The oath of allegiance is not a mere formality; it is a binding pledge of loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, obedience to lawful authority, and commitment to the protection of lives, property, and the Constitution. By this act, you formally accept the sacred responsibility entrusted to you by the Nigerian state. You are henceforth bound to uphold discipline, professionalism, respect for human rights, and the highest standards of conduct in the execution of your duties,” he said. 

    Highlights of the event included the display of what the guards have learnt about attack and self-defence and operational capabilities to curtail banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, deforestation, and illegal mining.

  • Senate’s push for death penalty against kidnappers

    Senate’s push for death penalty against kidnappers

    • By Babatola Akinsanmi

    In response to security challenges nationwide, the Senate has been working diverse measures to deepen internal peace, order and stability. The measures include the classification of kidnapping as an act of terrorism and prescription of death penalty for kidnappers, their financiers and informants.

    The last fortnight has been quite engaging in the Senate, even the National Assembly. The reasons for such high-spirited engagement are in two folds. First, it is associated with the spate of kidnapping, hostage-taking and other related heinous offences that took place in different parts of the federation.

    Second, the search for lasting antidotes to the security challenges further deepened the senate’s multi-pronged engagement. And the engagement was tied to restoring peace, order and stability across the federation. This is premised on the conviction that the National Assembly has the mandate to make or review laws to enable security agencies carry out their operations within the ambit of duly enacted laws.

    Specifically, the succession of kidnapping incidents in Maga, Kebbi State; Papiri, Niger State; and Eruku, Kwara State inspired the senate to take diverse initiatives to support the efforts of the President Bola Tinubu administration to nip insecurity in the bud. At least, these cases alone brought 313 persons, including about 250 schoolgirls, into the captivity of the kidnappers.  However, some of them have regained their freedom.

    Measures from the Senate

    In response to these challenges, the senate has been taking measures to strengthen the country’s counter-terrorism operations. One of such measures was the dissolution of the Senate Committees on Air Force as well as National Security and Intelligence, which Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele attributed to ineffectiveness in the exercise of their oversight powers. This initiative received unanimous support from all senators across all the political divides.

    Besides, the senate directed its Committees on Army, Navy, Defence, Interior and Police Affairs to submit reports of their activities to the plenary within two weeks. The essence of the reports, according to Bamidele, is to highlight the initiatives the committees have taken to reduce the waves of insecurity in the country and justify why they should not be dissolved and reconstituted.

    While President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio subjected this initiative to the decision of the plenary, it was a case of unanimity among the senators. This attested to what Bamidele ascribed to the resolve of the senate to first purge itself as it explored other measures that could further reinforce the country’s national security.

    The senate, also, treated with an unusual speed the request of the president for the screening of his Minister of Defence Nominee, General Christopher Musa. The request was subjected to consideration the day the senate president formally read it at the plenary, which according to him, could not be delayed due to the need to sustain the fight against the enemies of the country.

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    Inside the Bill

    Apart from all these measures, the senate initiated “a Bill for an Act to amend the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.” The amendment bill was sponsored by the senate leader. But prior to its initiation, all senators subscribed to the national significance of the bill, which they all argued, would meaningfully contribute to countering extremist violence across the federation.

    At the core of the bill lies the collective will of all the lawmakers, indeed all Nigerians  to  address gaps in the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. As canvassed in his lead debate, the senate leader  pointed out three central objectives that inspired the senate to seek review of the Act, first enacted in 2011 to prosecute and punish any person found guilty of terror and other related acts.

    Bamidele first identified the compelling need to designate kidnapping, hostage-taking and other related offences as acts of terrorism. The classification, according to him, empowers our security agencies with broader operational authority, intelligence capabilities, and prosecutorial tools available under counter-terrorism law.

    He, also, cited the failure of the existing counter-terrorism legislation to prescribe maximum punitive measures for kidnappers and hostage-takers. Unlike the existing regime, the senate now agreed that the death penalty be recommended for all perpetrators of kidnapping, hostage taking and other related crimes.

    Bamidele further observed that the bill did “not only recommend the death penalty for kidnappers or hostage takers. It equally recommends it for  their logistics providers,  financiers, informants, harbourers, transporters and anyone who knowingly assists, facilitates, or supports kidnapping operations. And its essence is to serve the purpose of deterrence and empower law enforcement agencies to confront kidnapping at a scale it currently demands.”

    The senate leader highlighted the significance of the bill, when it becomes law, to become a veritable tool, which the  law enforcement agencies “will leverage to dismantle kidnapping networks by enabling stronger enforcement as well as placing kidnapping under the terrorism framework anywhere in the federation.

    “By placing kidnapping under the terrorism framework, agencies can pursue: asset tracing and forfeiture, intelligence-led operations, inter-agency coordination, swift pre-trial procedures under terrorism laws, disruption of funding and logistics chains. This will help weaken the infrastructure that sustains kidnapping syndicates,” he pointed out with a conviction to pursue counter-terrorism campaigns with more consequential regimes.

    The grounds for these proposals are pure and simple,, according to the leader of the senate. He ascribed the grounds to the manners kidnappers “have killed their victims; compelled them to pay ransom; subjected them to brutal torture, raped, mutilated and starved hostages; and used crime proceeds to procure more weapons and perpetrate more crimes.”

    Evident in its grievous consequences for the victims, their families and the economy at large, Bamidele argued that kidnapping “is no longer a mere crime. It is terrorism in its purest form,” which he argued, should not be fought with kid’s gloves. “If an offence repeatedly results in mass murder, mass fear, mass displacement, and systemic destabilization, then the strongest legal sanction becomes necessary.”

    No more deradicalisation

    At the height of the debate, some senators questioned the efficiency of the deradicalisation programme, which the federal government introduced to discourage violent extremists and terrorists from taking up arms against the state. Even though all senators supported amendments to the Terrorism Act, some argued against the programme, citing its failure to bring about desired outcomes.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Adams Oshiomhole first questioned the deradicalisation programme, which according to him, had not failed to prevent extremists, hostage takers, kidnappers and terrorists from returning to their crimes.

    He emphasised the danger of extending amnesty “to extremists and terrorists, a model that has not effectively countered extremist violence.” He, thus, faulted “a practice whereby an extremist or terrorist will be arrested and allowed to go without facing consequence of his crimes in the name of deradicalisation and reintegration. This has not produced any meaningful result given the rising acts of terrorism nationwide.”

    Based on evidence in the public domain, Oshiomhole pointed out two scenarios, which he said, justified the failure of the deradicalisation programme. In the first place, the failure of the programme manifested in a situation where some of the repentant terrorists went back “to take up arms against the state that granted them amnesty.”

    The failure, also, became more evident in another situation whereby the federal government spent “so much money on prosecuting terrorists, and the suspects will not be allowed to bear the brunt of his heinous crimes.” He classified such a practice as a case of double loss, which according to him, would continue to fester the wounds of injustice in the federation.

    Oshiomhole, therefore, pushed for the adoption of capital punishment for kidnappers, hostage takers and other related offences. He said such a measure “is rooted in the Bible and Quran. If the holy books prescribe that those who are killed have no right to be alive, we should not hesitate to do the same. This bill should outlaw any initiative or programme that seeks to deradicalise whether extremists or terrorists, kidnappers or hostage takers. If any individual is caught and convicted for such heinous acts, then the penalty should be death and nothing more.”

    Supporting Oshiomhole’s argument against the deradicalisation programme, Chairman, Senate Committee on South-East Development Commission, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu lamented untold agonies that kidnappers “have subjected their victims, whether in the North or in the South.

    “Consequently, it is a natural thing for all senators to unite against such acts and push for a system that will enforce maximum penalties. Likewise, informants, sponsors and everybody involved in such heinous acts must face the full consequences of their crimes.”

    Kalu concluded that Nigerians “have suffered so much in the hands of kidnappers. Young girls have been raped. Women have become widows for no reason. This must not continue again,” Kalu called attention of his colleagues to untold and grievous pains that Nigerians had suffered and the need for more consequential measures.

    Resolution of the Senate

    Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Abba Moro summed up the perspectives to the bill, which according to him, perfectly reflected the spirit of unanimity among all senators. As a result, he called for its passage into second reading, citing the need “to complete the review on time and come up with a new regime that emphasises consequence rather than pardon.”

    After the exhaustive debates, the senate resolved in favour of the bill, passing it into second reading unanimously. It also adopted all the amendments to the bill  as proposed by the senate leader. It referred the bill to the relevant committees for the purpose of wider consultation,  public hearing and securing buy-in of the people.

    The senate further directed its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters chaired by Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN to midwife the process of the public hearing and report to the plenary within two weeks. It mandated the judiciary committee to work together on the bill with its Committee on Interior as well as Committee on National Security and Intelligence.

    • Akinsanmi, a peace and governance, specialist, wrote from Abuja

  • Kidnappers abduct five farmers in Edo

    Kidnappers abduct five farmers in Edo

    Kidnappers have abducted five farmers at Ivianokpodi community in Etsako East local government area of Edo State.

    The abduction occurred a day after news filtered in that kidnappers killed Emmanuel Alabi, a seminarian at Ivianokpodi.

    Read Also: Kidnappers kill seminarian after 95 days in captivity 

    All the five farmers, who hail from Ivianokpodi., were kidnapped on their way to their farm last Saturday.

    Community sources said the kidnappers have demanded N50m ransom.

     The sources said the victims were three males and two females. 

    According to him: “One of them is my neighbour. They were kidnapped last Saturday and as at today, the abductors are asking for N50 million.”

  • Kidnappers abduct retired head teacher, teenager in Edo

    Kidnappers abduct retired head teacher, teenager in Edo

    A retired head teacher, Mr. Eliaser Olorunloju, has been abducted by suspected herders between Sasaro and Ayetoro along the dilapidated Igarra- Uneme-Nekhua – Ibillo road in Akoko-Edo local government.

    Olorunloiu was returning from Igarra to to Ugboshi-ele when he was kidnapped.

    He was said to have gone to make photocopies of some documents ahead of his son’s resumption at a tertiary institution.

    The kidnappers were said to have demanded ransom payment of N70 million.

    Director of Operations and Strategy, Concerned Minds Initiative of Akoko-Edo (CMIA), Comrade Victor Arogunyo, who confirmed the abduction said the incident occurred around Aiyetoro–Somorika Junction, close to a Fulani settlement on the Ibillo–Uneme–Nekhua–Igarra Road.

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    He said it was another sad reminder that the locality remained under siege.

    Comrade Arogunyo identified factors fueling insecurity in Akoko-Edo to include bad roads, criminal herders, poor funding of security, low morale among vigilantes and hunters, and weak prosecution of arrested suspects.

    “In the last few months, this is about the fight kidnapping that is taking place on the same spot, close to that camp which is less than five minutes trekking away from there. The government must do something about this. I called his traditional ruler and he said they called on Sunday evening demanding N70 million.”

    Also, a teenager kidnapped at Ayogwiri in Etsako West local government area.

     The teenager was among women retuning from their farms.

    Two of the women reportedly sustained injuries.

    A ransom of N5 million has been demanded by the kidnappers to release the teenager.

    Chairman, Board of Trustees of the community, Vincent Ozemoya, called on all relevant security agencies in the area to rise up and rid their farms and forest of evil elements.

    Edo Police spokesman, Moses Yamu, could not be reached for comments.

  • Kidnappers attack seminary school in Edo, kill NSCDC official, abduct three students

    Kidnappers attack seminary school in Edo, kill NSCDC official, abduct three students

    Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have attacked the Catholic Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary School at Ivianokpodi, Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area.

    The attackers killed an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the school and thereafter abducted three students.

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    Rev. Fr Peter Egielewa of the Directorate, Social Communications, Catholic Diocese of Auchi, who confirmed the incident yesterday, said the gunmen attacked the school at about 9 pm on Thursday night.

    Egielewa decried persistent attack on Catholic schools, its personnel and its facilities.

    “This is the second time in 10 months that the school has been attacked. Ten months ago, a priest was kidnapped, and now three seminarians were abducted and a Civil Defence Corps member is killed, while a local vigilante sustained gunshot injuries.

    “We call on the government to protect the lives of all those who work in Catholic institution and our diocese.

    “We hope the security agencies at the local, state and federal levels to take up the responsibility on that so our people can be in peace and safety,” Egielewa said.

  • Abductors kill woman, demands N100m to free husband

    Abductors kill woman, demands N100m to free husband

    Kidnappers who seized Mr. Arimazoya Abona, in his 70s, at Ubuneke-Ivbiaro in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, after killing his wife, yesterday demanded N100 million ransom.

    Witnesses told our reporter that after the wife was shot in the neck, neighbours and passersby scampered to safety, with the gunmen invading through a bush path on the Ivbiaro-Auchi-Ikpeshi forest.

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    The youth of Ubuneke-Ivbiaro mobilised and headed for the forest in trail of the kidnappers to rescue the victim, but without success.

    It was gathered that men of the Nigeria Police at Afuze divisional headquarters, and some soldiers visited the scene, while the body of the woman was deposited in an undisclosed morgue in Edo.

    Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moses Yamu, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), could not be reached at press time.