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Tag: kidnappers

  • Kidnappers kill two, abduct passengers in Ondo

    Kidnappers kill two, abduct passengers in Ondo

    Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted several passengers after killing a commercial driver and a female passengers.

    The incident occurred at Legbeka community, Ose local government the Ondo State Police Command area.

    A witness said the gunmen stationed at a police checkpoint along the Akure-Benin highway after policemen stationed at the place left.

    The witness said the driver thought the gunmen were policemen but realised too late after he had approached them.

    According to the witness: “The criminals were at the police check point. The driver thought they were policemen. It was when he attempted to reverse that they shot him and the passenger. He was shot on the head.”

    Read Also: ‘Varsity students shun hostel over bandits, kidnappers attack’

    It was gathered that a serving Corps member was among the passengers whisked away.

    Two passengers were said to have  escaped with injuries.

    Another source said the vehicle was coming from Anambra State and heading towards Akure.

    Ondo Police spokesman, SP Fumilayo Odunlami-Omisanyan, said policemen have been deployed to comb the forest to ensure release of the victims.

  • ‘Varsity students shun hostel over bandits, kidnappers attack’

    ‘Varsity students shun hostel over bandits, kidnappers attack’

    Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Lokoja, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi has said students are reluctant to take up hostel accommodation because of bandits and kidnappers.

    Chairman, House Committee on University Education, Rep. Abubakar Fulata, said this in a statement in Abuja yesterday.

    The statement followed a visit by the committee to the university as part of its oversight.

    Fulata quoted Akinwumi as saying the university’s two hostels with a combined capacity of 500 occupants were empty.

    The vice-chancellor said the university management was also afraid of allocating the hostels because of fear of activities of kidnappers and bandits.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that some students of Kogi State University were kidnapped in May. Two of them were killed by their kidnappers.

    He said the school was vulnerable to the activities of bandits and kidnappers because it lacked perimeter fencing.

    ”That is why we did not allow our students to move to the hostels,” he said.

    He further quoted Akinwumi as commending the lawmakers’ visit to the school, while seeking the assistance of the lawmakers to help address the challenges of a new school like Federal University.

    Read Also: Akpabio reshuffles Senate’s standing committees

    He said infrastructure challenges as well as insecurity had been the major obstacles to the smooth running of the university.

    He said apart from the infrastructural challenges, employing competent hands into various faculties and departments remained a challenge.

    Fulata promised the support of the committee to ensure that the university had the necessary infrastructure to carry out research, teaching and learning.

  • Silence on kidnappers

    Silence on kidnappers

    Good news:  Two journalists, Abdulgafar Alabelewe of The Nation and AbdulRaheem Aodu of Blueprint, who were abducted by bandits from their homes in Kaduna, on July 7, regained their freedom after one week in captivity.  So did their family members who were also kidnapped in that incident.

    A statement by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, quoted Alabelewe as saying “I never thought that within a week of our kidnap, we could get out. We are grateful that the government swung into action and ensured that we were released.”

    Speaking when he received the two journalists from the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, the minister observed that “The security agencies under the coordination of the NSA are working tirelessly to ensure that all those who have been taken into unlawful custody are freed without paying any ransom.” The NSA was reported saying the victims were rescued following a search and rescue operation by security agencies.

    Curiously, neither the minister nor the NSA said anything about those who kidnapped the journalists and their family members. Also, they gave no information about how the so-called rescue operation was carried out.

     To say the victims were “rescued” suggests that they were taken from their abductors. If that was the case, what happened to the abductors?  A rescue suggests physical action on the part of the rescuers.  If the abductors released the captives, possibly after the payment of ransom, that can’t be described as a rescue.

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    It’s a familiar picture. In March, for instance, the schoolchildren who were abducted from LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School, Kuriga, Kaduna State, regained their freedom after more than two weeks in captivity. The authorities said nothing about the kidnappers.

    In that case, the minister had asserted that the official position was that “ransom will not be tolerated. Ransom will not be encouraged; ransom will not be paid by the government.” He said the country’s security agencies would not reveal “their modus operandi,” adding that they were “evolving new strategies of getting out these criminal elements and ensuring that our children or anybody who is kidnapped for that matter, is brought back safely.”

    However, when the authorities are silent about kidnappers in kidnap cases in which kidnappees regain their freedom after the intervention of security agencies, it suggests that the kidnappers are at large. If the captors are not captured, they may well strike again. That’s dangerous.

  • Kidnappers used dogs to pursue us, say rescued victims

    Kidnappers used dogs to pursue us, say rescued victims

    Two persons who were rescued by a joint security team have narrated how the kidnappers deployed the use of dogs to pursue them inside the forest.

    The rescued victims included a 74-year-old woman, Madam Alicia Afolayan and Mr. Kabiru Yakubu who was the driver of an Abuja-bound bus.

    Kidnappers attacked them between Akunu, Akoko Northeast Local Government Area of Ondo, and Ayere in Ijumu Local Government of Kogi State.

    The victims numbering about six, were rescued after spending three hours at the kidnappers’ den.

    Read Also: My administration committed to Niger Delta development, says Tinubu

    They were rescued by the combined efforts of officers of the Nigerian Army and Amotekun Corps.

    The driver said eight people were inside the vehicle when the kidnappers struck and all the passengers ran away.

    He said the kidnappers used white dogs to trace them in the forest to locate them.

    The victims thanked the security personnel for rescuing them.

  • Troops begin land, air offensive against kidnappers in Kogi

    Troops begin land, air offensive against kidnappers in Kogi

    A joint security task force has raided the camps of kidnappers in the forests of Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, which shares borders with Kwara, Ekiti and parts of Niger states.

    The task force comprised the Army, Police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), vigilantes and local hunters.

    They are in their second week of operations to flush out the criminals in a land and air offensive.

    Forests in the border towns with Kwara, Ekiti and Niger states believed to have long served as the negotiation camps for kidnappers, came under serious bombardment by the joint forces, while several arrests have been made.

    It was gathered that the decision to engage the criminals was not unconnected with the cases of kidnapping, banditry and robbery across Kogi.

    On May 9, gunmen invaded Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara in Kogi Central and abducted several students, 21 of whom have been rescued.

    The killing of a hostage sparked fresh outrage and prompted Governor Usman Ododo and the Commissioner of Police, Bertrand Onuoha, to go after the perpetrators.

    Read Also: Hunters bust kidnappers’ den in Anambra forest

    The governments of Kogi, Kwara, and Ekiti states, in conjunction with the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), mobilised the joint troops.

    It was gathered that the Senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, backed the action by donating meals to the troops.

    Kogi Security Adviser, Commodore Jerry Omodara (rtd), expressed the appreciation of the state government to Senator Karimi for his support.

    The Emla of Ilemla, a Second Class Chief, Oba Rotimi Victor Dada, also hailed the troops’ deployment.

    He said: “It has been a successful operation, so far.

    “Over the years we have been in a kind of dilemma, our farmers could not go to their farms, our wives could not go to the market to buy and sell their products.

    “But with this intervention of the state government under His Excellency, Alhaji Usman Ododo and the Federal Government who brought in the military personnel to flush out the kidnappers who have turned our forests into their den, our people can now heave a sigh of relief.”

  • Hunters bust kidnappers’ den in Anambra forest

    Hunters bust kidnappers’ den in Anambra forest

    The Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), Anambra Command, has busted a kidnappers’ den in Anam Forest, Anambra-West Local Government Area of the state.

    According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Dr John Metchie, NHFSS Deputy Commander-General, Technical Services, disclosed this while addressing newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

    Metchie said that the operation, which was carried out on Friday, was led by two top commanders, following an actionable intelligence.

    He said that officers of the service traversed the deepest parts of the forest only to find an abandoned Toyota Sienna vehicle with weapons and other incriminating items inside it.

    He identified the weapons as a pistol, one AK47 rifle, and locally fabricated guns, including vehicle plate numbers, charms, and other incriminating items.

    He said that the vehicle and items had been handed over to the Nigeria Police for further action, adding that the hunters were still on the trail of the suspected kidnappers who abandoned the vehicle.

    Metchie described hunters as a critical link to the nation’s security architecture, stressing the need for the Nigerian government to accord hunters due recognition in the security architecture.

    Read Also: Soldier killed in home state Abia after surviving five years fight against terrorists

    “NHFSS is a registered umbrella body of Hunters in Nigeria with the mandate to support the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to protect lives and property in ungoverned areas like forests and bushes.

    “The Bill for an Act to establish the Federal Government Security Service, to detect and prevent forest crime, has been passed by both Senate and House of Representatives and is currently awaiting the President’s assent.

    “Our objectives are geared toward improving the quality and performance of men and officers of Hunter Council, currently engaged in the protection of various public safety and security services within communities.

    “We have been trained by the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on managing security in the forest,” he said.

    He commended the officers and men of the Anambra command for the successful operation.

  • Kidnappers sleep off after abducting pastor’s wife in Ondo

    Kidnappers sleep off after abducting pastor’s wife in Ondo

    Five suspected kidnappers in Ondo State who abducted a pastor’s wife and two other persons have been arrested after their victims identified one of them.

    The victims had escaped when the kidnappers slept off while taking them to their den.

    It was gathered that the effect of hard drugs taken by the kidnappers made them fall asleep.

    Names of the suspected kidnappers were given as Garuba Mumuni, 27;Yusuf Tale, 21; Kabiru Muhammed, 16; Shaibu Umar and Adamu Mohammed, 22.

    Police said the suspects were arrested by men of the Ofosu Division after the victims identified one of them.

    Read Also: Ondo 2024: APC will retain power, says Aiyedatiwa

    According to the police, “A case of kidnapping  was reported at Ofosu Division, that a pastor’s wife and a member were kidnapped in the church while the third victim was kidnapped while picking snails at the  farm. The victims, however, escaped from their assailants at different dates after they had taken hard drugs and slept off.

    “Through Intelligence, on the 1st of May, 2024, five among the six kidnappers were arrested by men of Ofosu division and have been identified by the victims as part of the gang that abducted them.

    “On the 28th of March, 2024 at about 1800hours, a case of Kidnapping was reported at Ifon Police Station, in which two people were abducted and a woman killed by suspected kidnappers.’

  • Kidnappers of Edo PDP chair demand N500m ransom

    Kidnappers of Edo PDP chair demand N500m ransom

    Abductors of the Edo State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, have demanded N500 million ransom.

    Aziegbemi has spent 10 days in captivity.

    A member of Aziegbemi family, who spoke in confidence, was silent on what PDP leaders in Nigeria, including Governor Godwin Obaseki, are doing to raise the ransom.

    Read Also: Kidnappers of Edo PDP chair demand ₦500m ransom

    Police spokesperson Chidi Nwabuzor said the command was not aware of the huge ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

    Aziegbemi was kidnapped about 11pm on March 15 near his home off Country Home Road, Government Reservation Area (GRA) in Benin. He was returning from a political meeting at the Government House.

  • Kidnappers of Edo PDP chair demand ₦500m ransom

    Kidnappers of Edo PDP chair demand ₦500m ransom

    The gunmen who kidnapped on the Edo state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Aziegbemi, on Sunday, March 24, contacted his family, and demanded N500 million ransom, after ten days in captivity.

    A member of Aziegbemi’s family, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, was silent on what PDP leaders in Nigeria, including Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, were doing to raise the ransom.

    Read Also: How I dropped money for kidnappers at Ojuelegba, by witness

    However, Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chidi Nwabuzor, a Superintendent of Police (SP), stated that the command was not aware of the huge ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

    Aziegbemi was kidnapped at 11 p.m., near his personal residence, off Country Home Road, Government Reservation Area (GRA) Benin, after attending a political meeting at Government House in the state capital.

  • How I dropped money for kidnappers at Ojuelegba, by witness

    How I dropped money for kidnappers at Ojuelegba, by witness

    An Ikeja High Court heard yesterday how a witness, Mohammed Buhari, dropped money for kidnappers at Ojuelegba, Lagos State.

    Buhari gave evidence yesterday before Justice Adenike Coker at the ongoing trial of three suspects – Lima Auwal, Abdullah Usman and Seidu Abbas – alleged to have kidnapped a nine-year-old boy.

    The trio allegedly kidnapped the boy on Ajayi Street, Idi-Araba, on November 4, 2022. They were arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping.

    During resumed proceedings, Buhari gave an account of how he received a call from the kidnappers and dropped money for them at Ojuelegba. The witness said he followed the kidnappers’ instructions and dropped the ransom inside a vulcanizer tyre placed by the roadside towards Ojuelegba.

    Led-in-evidence by the prosecution counsel, Ms Titi Adeyegbe, the witness said after he closed from work, he drove his boss, Aliu Abubakar, home. Abubakar is the kidnapped boy’s father.

    According to him, they didn’t meet Abubakar’s wife and brother, Ibrahim, at home. He said they were told they went looking for the boy since he didn’t return from school on Friday.

    He also joined in the search and they slept on the street till the following morning.

    “Me and Ibrahim went to the second street searching. We were on the street overnight yet we could find the boy. Then my boss went to report to the police.

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    “The second day, in the morning, I got a text message and I showed my boss. The message said ‘your son is with us, we needed $3,000 and N200,000. I later got a call and the voice said, ‘oga na we carry your son’. I asked if I can speak to the boy. He gave the phone to the boy and I asked how he is to which he responded fine.

    “They didn’t call me again till Sunday morning. They asked if I am ready to get the boy. They said they will tell me where to get the boy and asked how much I had gotten of the amount they demanded. I said N200,000, and they said it was too small. I beg them but they insisted on N700,000. We were both speaking Hausa and I told them I had gotten N400,000.

    “About 10pm, they asked if I was ready to bring the money. I got to Yana bus stop on their instruction, and then they described the cloth I wore. I was told to go to the front of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). He told me to move towards Ojuelegba road and drop the money inside a tyre by the road.