TheNewsGuru

Tag: Abductors

  • Police arrest nine suspected kidnappers in Ogun state

    Police arrest nine suspected kidnappers in Ogun state

    Nine suspected kidnap syndicate operating on the Abeokuta-Ayetoro road in the Abeokuta-North Local Government area of the state have been arrested by Police operatives in Ogun state.

    The apprehension of the kidnap syndicate was made known by the police public Relations officer in the state ,DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi through a statement.

    Oyeyemi said the suspects were arrested in their hideout at Abule Oba, along Ayetoro road in Abeokuta.

    He added that the suspects were arrested after two ‘okada riders,’ Hammed Taiwo and Kehinde Jimoh, who were their errand boys, were sighted in the Rounder area of the Abeokuta-North Local Government.

    According to Oyeyemi, the suspects were arrested following a tip off from Sabo/Ilupeju divisional Headquarters.

    He stressed the cooperation of the local hunters, so safe corps ,Oodua People Congress and men of the Amotekun corps in Ogun state.

    The kidnappers have been identified by some of the victims they abducted.

    Oyeyemi noted that “The suspects: Hammed Taiwo, Kehinde Jimoh, Umar Sanda, Sanda Aliu, Ali Morandu, Usman Abubakar, Usman Mohammed, Umaru Ahmadu and Umaru Momodu, were arrested following a credible intelligence gathered by policemen at Sabo/Ilupeju Divisional Headquarters, that Hammed Taiwo and Kehinde Jimoh, who are errand okada riders to the kidnap syndicate, were sighted somewhere in the Rounder area of Abeokuta-North local government.

    “Upon the information, the DPO Sabo/Ilupeju division, SP Mustapha Opawoye, quickly mobilised his men and moved to the area, where the duo of Hammed Taiwo and Kehinde Jimoh were apprehended.

  • Abductors kill kano businessman, insists on collecting more ransom

    Abductors kill kano businessman, insists on collecting more ransom

    A popular kano-based businessman Alhaji Umar Sani, has been allegedly killed by kidnappers after collecting payment of ransom from his relations.

    It was reported(not TNG) that Alhaji Sani was kidnapped along Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road some days ago.

    His abductors had contacted his family and demanded ransom, which was paid a few days ago.

    One of the members of the family mentioned in Kaduna on Saturday that Magaji as he was fondly called was abducted two weeks ago alongside many others on the highway en route to Burku but was later confirmed killed by co-abductees days after a ransom has been paid.

    According to him, the deceased hailed from Fagge Local Government Area in Kano metropolis.

    Another family member of the deceased , Hussaini Sani, confirmed the death and said the kidnappers had called back on Thursday, demanding another N20million from them despite killing the businessman.

    According to him, nine of them were kidnapped along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road while on their way to Buruku. They later released three of them but withheld six.

    He added that the kidnappers started to negotiate with us and other families of people abducted, we agreed to pay them collectively and we did, only to realize Magaji has been killed while others were released.

    “When we asked them about the whereabouts of our brother, they confirmed to us that he was killed by the abductors. We called them (abductors) using the number they used for the negotiation and they insisted that our brother was still alive, and even went ahead to demand another ransom before they would release him,” he said.

  • Abductors of Zamfara College students demand N350m

    Abductors of Zamfara College students demand N350m

    The abductors of the students and staff of the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Bakura in Zamfara State are demanding N350 million for their release.

    The provost of the college Habibu Mainasara confirmed the development on Tuesday.

    He said a total of 20 people were abducted, including 15 students, 4 staff, and a driver.

    The gunmen had stormed the institution around 11 pm on Sunday and kidnapped the students and staff of the college.

    During the attack, the gunmen killed two watchmen and a police officer.

    Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, had promised to secure the release of the victims of the latest abduction by bandits in the state.

    In a statement by his spokesman, Yusuf Gusau, on Monday, he condemned the attack on the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Bakura.

    “Governor Matawalle who is seriously saddened with the resurgence of school abduction in the state by recalcitrant bandits is, however, thankful to God for the prompt response of the security agencies to the school to reinforce the already stationed security at the school which also led to the successful rescue of three out of the four abducted staff of the institution,” the statement said.

    “The governor directed the security operatives in the state to intensify efforts and rescue all the abductees, promising to do everything humanly possible to rescue them unhurt.”

    According to Governor Matawalle, the state government has continued to strengthen efforts of providing security to all schools across the state since the abduction of the schoolgirls in Jangebe.

    He commended the immediate action of the security agencies to launch search and rescue strategies to ensure the safe return of the abducted students and staff still in captivity.

    The governor also made an appeal to residents of the state to remain calm, saying the government was taking all the necessary steps to restore normalcy in the area.

    He, however, urged inhabitants to cooperate with the security agencies deployed in the area by providing them with useful information that could lead to the rescue of the victims.

    Governor Matawalle called on the people to intensify prayers for an end to all criminal activities in the state and the nation at large.

  • After shooting commissioner dead, abductors of Kogi LG chairman demand ₦100m

    After shooting commissioner dead, abductors of Kogi LG chairman demand ₦100m

    The abductors of the Chairman of Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, Pius Kolawole, have demanded a ransom of one hundred million Naira.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Kolawole and some others were kidnapped on Saturday on his way from Ilorin to his hometown of Egbe, the border town between Kogi and Kwara State.

    He was said to be in the company of the state Commissioner for Pension Board Honourable Adebayo Solomon, who was shot dead by the gunmen.

    According to reports, the abductors contacted one of the family members of the chairman on Sunday night to demand the ransom.

    A family source on Monday said the abductors promised to call back by this morning to continue with the negotiation.

    The source further said the kidnappers had also contacted the Kogi State Chairman, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) Mr. Taofik Isah who doubled as the Chairman of Ijumu Local Government Area.

    It was gathered that the family, council area and ALGON had now agreed that only the ALGON Chairman should continue with the negotiation with the kidnappers.

    Two days ago, the kidnappers did not touch the four-year-old son of late Solomon who was in the vehicle at the time of the attack.

    While the police orderly to the chairman took to his heels, the driver of the vehicle was badly wounded and shot at by the abductors and only regained consciousness the second day at the Egbe Hospital.

  • Despite Police manhunt, Kidnappers demand N50m for Eight RCCG members

    Despite Police manhunt, Kidnappers demand N50m for Eight RCCG members

    The abductors of members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Kaduna state have established contact with the leadership of the church in the state, demanding a ₦50 million ransom before they will release them.

    This was disclosed by the public relations officer of the Church in Kaduna province, Alao Joseph.

    Mr. Joseph said the church members were kidnapped by the bandits at about 7 pm on Friday night along Kachia road.

    He said that the bandits took away the church members to an unknown destination while the bus which they were travelling with was abandoned by the roadside.

    He added that the church has contacted the security agencies over the incident with the hope that they will help in securing the immediate rescue of the eight church members.

    Meanwhile, the police authorities in Kaduna state have confirmed the abduction of the eight Redeemed Church members on Friday night.

    Police spokesman Mohammed Jalige, who confirmed the incident to said the command is working closely with the leadership of the church in the state to ascertain the actual number of those that were abducted.

    He added that police operatives have launched a manhunt with a view to arresting the criminals and rescuing the victims alive.

  • How we fuel the wings of abductors – Ozioma Onyenweaku

    How we fuel the wings of abductors – Ozioma Onyenweaku

    Ozioma Onyenweaku

    In the 2000s the Niger Delta Militants hit the street big with the kidnapping of foreign oil workers. That was in a bid to draw attention to the plight of the Niger Delta people over oil spillage in the area. The oil companies in desperate move to rescue their officers offered to pay ransom. Seeing another side to the kidnapping, more and more top officers were abducted, and huge ransom collected. So was set the boom business of kidnapping.

    Following that, anti-kidnapping squad was set up by the Nigeria Police Force in the 2000s to curtail the rising case of kidnapping. Yet the kidnapping rate kept increasing.

    Intelligence Response Team was also created to deal with the threat of kidnapping. Hundreds of Police officers were deployed to man, and patrol the highways particularly those highways that record high kidnapping cases.

    Several states in Nigeria passed into law Bills that outlaw kidnapping and abduction. For example, Ebony State through its Internal Security Enforcement and Related Matters law (CAP 55) prescribes death sentence for the offence of kidnapping; Imo State Anti-kidnapping bill also prescribes death sentence; so also Akwa Ibom state, Rivers State, Enugu State, Delta State and some others.

    “The greatest incentive to crime is the hope of escaping punishment”

    In 2016, Kano State (the first from the region) signed into law a bill recommending execution for kidnappers who are convicted of killing their captives, while those that abducted but did not kill their victims would be jailed for life

    On the Federal level, Nigeria has Nigeria Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 to curb terrorism of any nature, and to promote “the protection of persons and their properties from abuse as well as enhance freedom of others in the same society” The punishment for the offence of kidnapping was put at maximum of 10 years.

    In September 2017 a bill was passed into law outlawing abduction, wrongful restraint or confinement for ransom – “Whoever is guilty of the offence and then results in the death of the victim shall be liable on conviction to be sentenced to death”; and 30-year jail term for anyone who colludes with abductor to receive ransom”. That leaves life imprisonment for the offence of kidnapping that results in no death of the victim.

    With all the machinery in place, Nigeria is overwhelmed by the insecurity occasioned by the activities of the kidnappers and abductors. In 2014 about 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok. In February 2018, about 110 school girls, ages of 11 & 19, were kidnapped from Government Girls Science & Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe State. Some others include the Kangara boys, another in Zamfara, and yet another in Niger State. Kidnapping and abduction of school children has become almost a daily affair. So what are we not doing right in the fight against kidnapping and abduction?

    So what fuels the wings of the abductors? We have to look inward and see where we are not getting things right in this area.

    What is our reality? Nigeria has been ‘fighting’ the fight with a kid’s gloves. How on earth does one expect to end abduction when the abductors are romanced, and treated to a King’s banquet! How do we end this menace when the abductors dictate the terms and they are obliged? For instance, about a hundred of the Chibok girls were released in a Prisoner Swap deal between the abductors and the government. In this deal, five Boko Haram Commanders were released in exchange for the hundred young innocent girls. In the case of the Dapchi girls where two of the girls were found dead, 104 of them were freed after the payment of ransom. The recent ones are no exception.

    Here, we are yet to record any bandit arrested for abduction, tried, convicted and sentenced to serve as a deterrent to others. Instead we present ourselves as people condoning the crime of abduction and kidnapping, and as such create enabling environment for it to thrive. Crimes are meant to be punished for. When there is no punishment for a crime, the criminal is emboldened to commit more crime. Like Marcus Tullius Cicero said, “The greatest incentive to crime is the hope of escaping punishment”

    In Nigeria, the abductors do not just hope to escape punishment, they have assured expectation of escaping punishment.

    For us to achieve result in combating abduction/kidnapping, we must review our current anti-kidnapping approach. We have to get our priorities right, and channel efforts and resources towards this cause. For now, we fuel the wings of the abductors.

     

     

     

     

  • Abductors place N52m ransom on 26 Taraba youths

    Abductors place N52m ransom on 26 Taraba youths

    Abductors of 26 youths from Takum local government area of Taraba have demanded N52 million ransom for their release.

    A relation of one of the victims, who pleaded anonymity, said the kidnappers have established contacts with the affected families and are demanding N2m ransom per head.

    He said there was reliable information the kidnappers have moved the victims into a forest situated between Takum local government in Taraba and Katsina-Ala in Benue State.

    The sources further revealed in revenge to the abduction of the 26 victims, youths in Takum on Thursday evening attacked Tivs resident in Takum and abducted 31 persons, including women and children.

    He said the abducted Tivs are hostage in an unknown hideout in Takum.

    The Takum youths, according to him, have fingered Tivs for the abduction of their kinsmen.

    He said they also vowed to kill the 31 Tivs in their custody should anything happen to their kinsmen.

    Taraba Police spokesman DSP David Misal confirmed the kidnappers have established communication with relations of the victims.

    He appealed to Takum youths to exercise patience, promising the police was making concerted efforts to secure the release of the kidnapped victims.

    26 Takum youths returning from a wedding ceremony in Wukari were abducted between Chechenji and Kofai Ahmadu villages on Wednesday.

     

  • My abductors thought I was my boss’ wife, freed FRCN staff speaks on kidnap experience

    My abductors thought I was my boss’ wife, freed FRCN staff speaks on kidnap experience

    The kidnapped female presenter; Chinenye Iwuoha of Pacesetter FM (an arm of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN), Amakanma in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State has described her kidnap as a case of mistaken identity.

    Iwuoha who opened up on her kidnap saga said that she was coming back from work in the company of the General Manager of the station; Uche Ndukwu when the gunmen struck and whisked her away to an unknown destination.

    According to her, she was kept behind closed door for the number of days that she was in the custody of her abductors.

    The freed presenter who spoke in a telephone interview with The Nation said her abductors dropped her off on Wednesday night at a village she identified as Abayi (Owahia) in Obingwa LGA.

    “We were returning back from work Monday night, very close to Amakanma Estate, a car hit our own. We thought it was an accident. It was when they hit the second time and brought out gun that we knew that it was no longer a child’s play.

    “They shot our driver. I tried to open the other door, but it was locked and before you know it, they had already blocked the entire doors.

    “They dragged and put me inside their car and drove off to what became a long journey. After going through the bushes, I was kept in a house.

    “I learnt that they demanded for N20m, but when they dropped off, they said that my brother didn’t give them anything.

    “They said that they are dropping me because they promised to drop me off that day. They told me on Tuesday that I will be leaving on Wednesday as long as I was cooperating.

    “They dropped me off at Abayi (Owahia) village in Obingwa LGA and asked me to look for a place and tell them what happened. I was accommodated for the night by a family after telling them what happened.

    “That night, I called my brother and in the morning (Thursday), they came and picked me.

    “There in the bush, they said that they didn’t have my handbag. I assumed that it could be with my people, but as we speak, I am yet to find it.”

    Asked if she was the primary target, Iwuoha said “I don’t think so. I think that it is a case of mistaken identity because they thought I was the man’s wife.

    “It was like they were told that the man (GM) and the wife were returning from somewhere. So, they now picked me, who they assumed to be the GM’s wife thinking that the husband will come for her. At the end of the day, they discovered that I am not the man’s wife. I guess that they know me from the radio.”

    She commended the Police for their efforts in ensuring that she regained her friend

    She thanked the media for standing up to show support and solidarity during her kidnapping.

    The Abia State Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbede said “the kidnappers demanded N20m. They later demanded N10m and later demanded for N200, 000″

    Agbede however, stated that when the heat was unbearable on them, the kidnappers had no other option but to release her unconditionally.

  • Gunmen kidnap Nasarawa governor’s adviser

    Gunmen kidnap Nasarawa governor’s adviser

    Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule’s Special Adviser on Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Community Development John Waje Mamman has been abducted by gunmen.

    The attackers stormed Mamman’s Dari country home in Kokona Local Government Area of the state about 8pm on Saturday and whisked him away.

    A source told The Nation that due to the intense heat, the governor’s aide and his associates were outdoors but within his compound when the kidnappers invaded the house and took him away.

    It was gathered that the abductors surrounded the house and started shooting rapidly, sending Mamman’s friends scampering for safety.

    Mamman himself could not escape and the hoodlums seized him and fled with him.

    As at the moment of filing this reporters, the kidnappers had not established any contact with his relatives.

     

  • JUST IN: Abductors of Kaduna school girls, teachers demand N50m ransom

    Abductors of six female students and teachers at Engravers College, Kakau Daji in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State have demanded N50m as ransom to free the abductees.

    Recall that the gunmen had in the early hours of Thursday stormed the college and took away six female students and two other staff of the school residing to an unknown destination.

    The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the incident.

    According to reports, one of the parents on Friay said the kidnappers had made contact with the management of the school where they demanded for the N50m ransom.

    The parent who does not want his name on print said: “We learnt that the kidnappers had contacted the college where they first demanded for N30m per head of student.

    “We were told that the school authority told the kidnappers that they could only afford to pay N100, 000 for the release of the students and their teachers.

    “The kidnappers told them they are not serious to get the children back. Negotiation is still going on.”

    It was gathered that the students were immediately sent on break following the abduction of the six female students and two members of staff of the college.

    “We have sent the students on a week break pending when the situation would normalize,” a source told our correspondent.

    One of the traumatized parents, Mr. Julde Juli, whose 15 –year- old daughter was among abductees, prayed that the kidnappers release their children alive.

    “We just pray nothing happens to them and they come out alive. We just have to take things the way it come because is how God ordains it to happen.

    “I used to have two children here (school) but one of them has been taken to the Federal Science School, Sokoto.”

    On what attracted him to taking his children to the school, he said: “from my experience over the years, the school is good based on their performance and the school fee is moderate.”

    On how he felt on hearing of the abduction of his daughter, Juli added, “As a parent, I was shocked on receiving the news of the kidnap of my daughter.”

    He urged all those that indulged in kidnapping for business to repent of the sins.