The Nation Newspaper

Tag: kidnappers

  • Two rescued from kidnappers

    Two rescued from kidnappers

    POLICE in Ogun State said yesterday they rescued two kidnap victims – Mrs. Kudirat Balogun and a hotelier, Otunba Gbenga Taiwo – who were abducted separately by different suspects.

    Mrs. Balogun, who is a chairmanship aspirant’s wife in the October 8 council election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ewekoro Local Government, was rescued on Wednesday at Mile 2, Abeokuta, following pressure mounted on the suspects by the police.

    The second victim, who was kidnapped at Isanyin in Ogun Waterside last Monday, was rescued at Iperu-Remo.

    Commissioner of Police Ahmed Iliyasu spoke to reporters at the Police Officer’s Mess, Abeokuta.

    Iliyasu said after Mrs. Balogun was kidnapped, operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) Magbon, Abeokuta, were deployed to comb the state and rescue the victim unhurt.

    The police commissioner said no ransom was paid on the victims, adding that the suspects behind both kidnap cases would be arrested.

    Mrs. Balogun told reporters that her abductors blind-folded and slapped  her for declining to eat their meal.

    “They (kidnappers) slapped me two times because they said I should eat and I didn’t. After the slap, I ate. They blindfolded me and I didn’t see anything. They gave me bread and rice to eat. I thank God and police for the cooperation to rescue me,” she said.

    Taiwo, who is also a politician, told reporters that the kidnappers demanded N5 million from him but he said he told them he would not pay any ransom.

    He said: “I told them I can’t pay the N5 million and if you kill me, they will catch you because I am an Ijebu man and when they saw that I didn’t eat, they had discussion that it was better for them to return me.”

  • Police parade 41 ‘kidnappers’, others in Abuja

    Police parade 41 ‘kidnappers’, others in Abuja

    •Troops kill ‘kidnappers’ in Bauchi

    The police in Abuja yesterday paraded 41 suspects for kidnapping, car snatching, and other crimes.

    The suspects included Isah Aliu, Labaran Abubakar, Abdullahi Ishaq, Adamu Mohammed, Muazu Nasiru, Tella Adamu, Mohammed Adamu, Murtala Usman, Yusuf Waheed.

    Others were: Bashir Mohammed, Nelson Nyan, Peter Attah, Michael Bembi, Salisu Isah, Alh Isah Musa, Ibrahim Yusuf, Emeka Nnate, Mohammed Abubakar, Mohammed Abubakar, Hashiru Tukur.

    Items recovered from them included 13 motorcycles, six cars, nine wristwatches, knife, Ipad, two mobile phones, television set, DVD player, game station and armoured cables.

    Commissioner of Police in  FCT Muhammad Mustafa said the arrest and recovery followed proactive intelligence, hard work and discreet operations by the command.

    “Some suspects were paraded initially for kidnapping their victim from Maitama and taking her to an inn in Sokoto State, where she was held hostage before she was rescued by policemen.

    “The FCT Police Command has arrested other members of the syndicate, who were at large. Among those arrested is a notorious car snatcher and gang leader, who recruits the hoodlums and supplies them arms and ammunition.

    “The command has intensified efforts to recover the victim’s Toyota Rav4 and one other Toyota Venza, all parked at the gang’s hideout in Niger Republic,” said.

    Mustafa enjoined residents to be cautious when parking, even as he urged them to install tracking devices in their cars.

    Also, troops of 33 Brigade at the weekend killed three kidnappers in Bauchi State.

    According to the Acting Director of Public Relations Col. Sani Usman, this followed incessant cases of robbery and kidnapping in the areas.

    He said the troops carried out the fighting patrol at Dutsen Mairama and around Dogon Ruwa settlement within Lame/Burra forest of Toro and Ningi local governments.

    “During the encounter, three kidnappers were killed and their camps destroyed. The troops also recovered arms and ammunition, including empty shells,” he said.

    Usman said the troops would continue to carry out such clearance operations in known hideouts within Bauchi and other states to deny criminals freedom of action.

     

  • Police arrest lawmaker’s ‘kidnappers’

    Police arrest lawmaker’s ‘kidnappers’

    The Police have arrested the alleged kidnappers of the lawmaker representing Mashi/Dutsi, Katsina State, in the National Assembly, Sani Bello.

    The police said Bello was kidnapped on August 2 and freed on August 5 following investigation by the intelligence Response Team.

    The suspects; Haruna Adamu, Shaibu Adamu and Abubakar Saidu, who were paraded yesterday at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, were apprehended in Katsina State.

    The police recovered N250,000 buried in a bush at one of the suspect’s village, and a Gione phone used for negotiations.

    Force spokesman Don Awunah said: “A notorious kidnap-for-ransom gang that has been linked to kidnapping and violent crimes in the Kaduna/Abuja axis have been arrested after coordinated and painstaking investigation by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the IGP’s Monitoring Unit.

    “The dare devil gangsters were responsible for the kidnap of Sani Bello, a member the House of Representatives, in his farm on Kaduna–Abuja road on August 2 .

    “The suspects were trailed and rounded up at Ungwan Kawu in Dan Dumi Local Government of Katsina State. During interrogation, they confessed to committing the crime.

    “One of them, Shaibu Adamu led operatives to Kawu where he buried part of the N250,000 ransom. The money was exhumed and was marked as exhibit.”

    He hinted that the suspects are helping to apprehend their fleeing colleagues, adding that they will soon be arraigned in court.

    Gang leader Haruna Adamu said N10 millon was collected as ransom.

    “We collected N10 million from the victim and we acted on the orders of our sponsor. We didn’t even know who our victim was but we acted based on the information our sponsor gave us,” he said.

  • Kano CP vows to dislodge kidnappers, cattle rustlers from Falgore forest

    The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Yusuf, yesterday vowed to flush out criminal elements, including kidnappers and cattle rustlers from the notorious Falgore forest and its environs.

    Yusuf who paid a visit to Doguwa Local Government Area also advised herdsmen living around the notorious Falgore forest to organize themselves,” you have to settle in one place instead of living in clusters at the bank of the forest to make security operations easier,” he added.

    Yusuf who was on an assessment visit to some communities affected by the activities of kidnappers, armed bandits and cattle rustlers, assured residents that the police and sister security agencies, are committed to ensuring safety of their lives and property.

    He said, “if the herdsmen could settle in one particular place or location, it will assist the police in checking the activities of kidnappers and other armed banditry in those villages like Karasa,Murmushi and Kiko in Doguwa Local Council.”

    The Commissioner who held a meeting with religious leaders, traditional rulers and opinion leaders in the communities at the Karasa Square, called on the residents to continue to give the policemen deployed in the area maximum support and cooperation to achieve the desired objective.

    He also urged them to always be security conscious and report any suspicious movement to the Police for quick response.

    He urged the officers and men deployed to the area to re-double their efforts in the discharge of their duties, and shun all forms of corrupt practices and show respect to human dignity.

    In his remarks, the District Head of Doguwa, Alhaji Aliyu Harazimi, commended the efforts of the Commissioner of Police and pledged to give him all necessary support and called for deployment of additional armed personnel to the affected areas, to reduce the activities of the hoodlums.

    Likewise, the Ward Head of Karasa village, Mallam Abdullahi Bakanike expressed appreciation to the Commissioner of Police for the visit despite the rain and poor road network. He pledged total support to the policemen at all times.

  • Stay away from Lagos, Akiolu warns vandals, kidnappers

    Stay away from Lagos, Akiolu warns vandals, kidnappers

    •Ambode: we’ll not tolerate such sacrilege again

    •Lagos to confiscate buildings, hotels used for kidnapping

    Lagos monarch Oba Riliwanu Aremu Akiolu yesterday warned vandals and kidnappers to stay away from the state, saying that the security apparatus has been fortified to wage war against every form of criminality.

    Akiolu spoke when he led members of the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs to the Lagos House, Ikeja, on a “Thank you” visit to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    He said: “It is in their (hoodlums) interest to desist and look for other legal ventures to make ends meets. The mere fact that the economy appears not okay does not mean that you resort to criminality. They should stop, not just kidnapping, but any form of criminality. No religion accepts such. Everybody is at alert now, we are on our toes now and with the encouragement given by the Chief of Naval Staff, the National Security Adviser and the Inspector-General of Police, they will be chased to anywhere they are,” he said.

    He enjoined members of the council to rise to their responsibilities and take the business of security within their communities seriously.

    He said the incident which led to the kidnap of the Oniba of Iba, Oba Goriola Oseni, on July 16, was a wake-up call to all, noting that the business of protecting lives and property should not be left to the security agencies alone.

    Akiolu said: “Honestly, as I told my brother Obas, all of us will have to go back and rearrange our security architecture. All hands must be on deck, everyone must assist the government. That’s why in my palace, people accuse me of being too security conscious, but I told them that well, maybe because I was a policeman, but it’s God that is the ultimate security of our lives.

    “It is very necessary. We are happy because the governor did very well. All the security agencies did all that they could do but we still have to be at alert. Everybody must be prepared. We are not going to take things for granted now.”

    He lauded the governor’s and the security agencies’ efforts in rescuing the Iba monarch.

    Responding, Ambode said the state government deployed its security intelligence to unravel the circumstances surrounding the monarch’s kidnap.

    The governor said: ‘’At the initial stage, when the Oba was kidnapped, it appeared as if government was not doing anything. That was actually not the case. It was not just a sacrilege in Yorubaland, but the traditional institution was indeed desecrated. So, we needed to dig into what really happened to reach a logical conclusion.”

    Ambode assured the monarchs that such incident would never occur in the state again.

    “We will now pay greater attention collectively to the security of our traditional rulers. We need to increase security especially for those rulers in the riverine areas. Whatever it is that the Council of Obas must do, must be done to strengthen the security in that area, but there must be cohesion and unity amongst us.

    “Anything that will bring about  peace and make the state progress is our priority and the security of lives and property has always been the priority of this government,” the governor said.

    Also yesterday, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Fatai Owoseni threatened to confiscate houses and hotels used as hideouts for kidnapping and other criminal activities in the state.

    Addressing reporters after the State Security Council meeting presided over by Ambode, Owoseni said: “There is no hiding place for criminal elements again as we get them, they would be made to face the full wrath of the law. In addition to that, the Council resolved that any structure or any places of hiding that criminal elements are using, the state will not hesitate to take over those safe havens, structures or houses,” he said.

    Owoseni also advised criminals  to turn over a new leaf and get themselves meaningfully engaged, warning that ‘’there is no hiding place for them in the state’’.

  • Kidnappers of Lagos monarch must be punished-Ambode

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, has said that those involved in the kidnap of Oniba of Iba, Oba Goriola Oseni would be punished in accordance with the law.

    Oba Oseni who was kidnapped on Saturday, July 16 was rescued on Saturday, August 6.

    Governor Ambode made the declaration on Sunday  in a statement read by the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, during the parade of two of the suspected kidnappers, Toba Forejo and Isaiah Ododomu, at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

    The governor said the kidnap of an Oba in Yoruba land was a sacrilege commended the effort of the police saying the investigation has been painstaking and purposeful to ensure that the kidnappers were apprehended.

    “Permit me to state that the kidnap of an Oba in Yoruba land is a sacrilege and a complete discretion of the cultural values of the Yoruba people that must not go unpunished.”

    Governor Ambode said the arrest of the suspect is a clear warning to criminal elements that the state government value and cherish the Yoruba tradition and will leave no stone unturned to ensure that it is protected.

    He also commended the ongoing operation Awatse designed to flush out militants and criminals that have been terrorizing riverine communities in the state. “This operation is yielding desirable results and will continue until those criminal activities are completely stamped out.”

  • Imo’s bulldozers move against kidnappers

    Imo’s bulldozers move against kidnappers

    Imo State continues crackdown on kidnap suspects by demolishing their houses, reports OKODILI NDIDI

    The Imo State government is throwing everything at suspected kidnappers. Many of them have been smoked out of their dens and arrested, while the hunt for others is on. But the government will not slow down on the crackdown. Buildings owned by on-the-run suspects are being pulled down. The word is out that there is no room for criminals in the state.

    The bulldozer action codenamed ‘Operation Oshebee’ is headed by the state Deputy Governor Prince Eze Madumere. It is one of the measures adopted by the State Security Council against suspected criminals.

    Since the operation started, over 100 buildings owned by suspected kidnappers have been demolished in different parts of the state, especially in Ohaji-Egbema Council Area, where kidnappers had majority of their dens where victims were kept allegedly in connivance with the villagers and village heads who are forced to take oath of secrecy.

    In the latest operation at Mgirishi and Umuagwu communities in Ohaji-Egbema council, perhaps the state’s most ambitious effort, over 15 buildings belonging to suspected kidnappers were reduced to heaps of ruins.

    Intent on keeping criminals out of the  state, the government is collaborating with the police and other security agencies in this operation.

    Madumere who supervised the demolition alongside the state Commissioner of Police Taiwo Lakanu, said, “The owners of the buildings that were demolished were caught in the act of kidnapping, armed robbery and other criminal activities including those belonging to their collaborators. Prince Madumere stressed the need to shun the wrong attitude of abetting crime as there are punishments for collaborators and those whose facilities are used for criminal activities.

    He warned the youth to shun crime, adding that the state government will not spare anyone who will engage in any act that will undermine the security of the state.

    The Deputy Governor challenged the youths to take advantage of the state government’s youth empowerment programme like free education and several skill acquisition programmes to adequately prepare themselves for the challenges of the future, instead of taking to criminality.

    He commended the Commissioner of Police, the Army, Civil Defence and other security agencies for their collaborative efforts in ensuring that kidnappers and other criminal elements are kept out of business in the state.

    Speaking further to the mammoth crow of villagers who gathered to witness the demolition, Madumere restated the commitment of the Rescue Mission Administration to stamp out crime from the state and make it comfortable for investors.

    The Commissioner of Police in his brief speech said that “the resolve to take the battle to the criminals has become necessary so as to stop them from operating at all.

    He revealed that a lot of intelligence has gone into the new approach to combating crime.

    Lakanu who expressed joy with the crime-free status of the state, advised that the status should be sustained to avert possible security challenges that may hinder development policies of the state government, especially now that every state of the federation is yearning for investment.

    He assured that the measure will also serve as a deterrent to others.

    The Commissioner of Police further commended the State Governor for improving the security infrastructures in the State and for rapid response in managing some situations.

    Meanwhile, some of the villagers who spoke with newsmen commended the Deputy Governor and the security operatives, while promising to always give vital information that will further help rid the communities of all undesirable elements.

     

  • Suspected kidnappers lynched in Benue

    Angry youths in Gboko, Benue State, at the weekend, burnt two suspected kidnappers alive.

    A third suspect was, however, handed over to the police for interrogation.

    The two suspects were trailed to their hideout in Gboko and found with arms and ammunition.

    The youths resorted to jungle justice but spared the third suspect to give the police more information about their activities.

  • Kidnappers demand N40m for Ondo monarch’s release

    Kidnappers demand N40m for Ondo monarch’s release

    Kidnappers of a traditional ruler in Irele Local Government, the Laragunsin of Iyasan, Oba Abiodun Oyewumi, yesterday demanded N40 million ransom for his release.

    Oyewumi was kidnapped on Monday by 10 suspected gunmen, who stormed his palace, around 10.30 pm.

    It was gathered that his abductors communicated with the family through one of his sons, Folarin Oyewumi.

    It was learnt the family  sent  N40,000 recharge cards to them.

    Sources within the palace told The Nation that the monarch’s family pleaded with the abductors to reduce the ransom to N500,000.

    It was learnt that Folarin was the only one allowed by the kidnappers to speak with them.

    The 10 suspected gunmen stormed the monarch’s palace on Monday and whisked him away.

    The kidnappers, who came to the town through the Owena River, which is the boundary between Ondo and Edo states, escaped through the waterways.

    The incident has created fear among residents, mainly  farmers, now scared to go to their farms.

    Police spokesman Femi Joseph said the police would soon arrest the kidnappers.

    He denied any knowledge of the family’s contact with the kidnappers.

    A traditional ruler, Oba Olusegun Akinbola,the Aladeokun of Alade-Idanre, attributed the incessant abduction of monarchs to loss of traditional values.

    He said in the past, monarchs were highly regarded, stressing that “there is presently no regard for the royal institution”.

    Oba Aladeokun, who spoke against the abduction of Oba Oyewumi, said politicians matters worse.

    He said: “Imagine a situation where a politician invites traditional rulers into a public forum and will not come out for hours. When he eventually comes, he will shake hands with the crowned heads. This is sacrilegious; it has repercussions”.

    He noted that kidnappers usually seize rulers, with the intention that his community would rally round to raise money for ransom.

    The impression, according to him, was incorrect.

    Oba Akinbola, who will mark his 21st coronation anniversary on the throne next Saturday, urged the kidnappers to stop disgracing their race.

    The senator representing Ondo North, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice, yesterday criticised the abduction of the Laragunsin of Iyasan.

    In a statement by his media aide, Kayode Adeniyi, the chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) described the incident as callous and condemnable.

    It said: “We must not give in to dastardly attempts by criminals to desecrate the revered traditional institution in Ondo State. As a people, we must keep protecting the sacredness and sanctity of our heritage against any form of intimidation and attacks from criminals.

    “Those who have responsibilities to ensure the security of lives and properties in Ondo State should live up to the expectations of their offices.The era of kidnapping should not be allowed to creep back into the state.”

  • Police rescue PDP chieftain from kidnappers’ den

    Police Personnel of the Safer Highway Patrol team under Aba Area Command has successfully rescued a chieftain and former Governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia State, Ukpai Ukairo from kidnappers’ den.

    Ukairo who is the southeast legal adviser of the PDP was said to have been heading to Aba after a meeting of the party in Umuahia, the state capital when the armed men numbering five attacked him.

    The Nation gathered that his Personal Assistant and driver that were kidnapped alongside the PDP lawyer have also regained their freedom and reunited with their families unhurt and without any payment of ransom.

    Three members of the gang including leader of a notorious robbery and kidnapped gang identified as Onyekachi Ogbonnaya are in custody of the Aba Area Command where they were said to be undergoing further interrogation.

    Sources at the Aba Area Command told our reporter that police had already launched manhunt on other members of the gang who were still at large.

    A highly placed source at the Aba Area Command that pleaded anonymity told our reporter that police has also recovered a Toyota Vensa belonging to the PDP chieftain which was also taken away by the hoodlums.