Gunmen have kidnapped the wife, children and driver of the traditional ruler of Odigbo town, Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Rufus Akinrinmade.
It was gathered that the victims were kidnapped on Ikare-Owo Expressway in Oba Akoko, Akoko South West Local Government Area of the state.
The traditional ruler, who confirmed the sad occurrence, said the abductors had contacted the family and had requested a sum of N100m as ransom.
The Cross River Police Command has confirmed the kidnap of the state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, Ben Ukpepi at his residence in Akpabuyo local government area of the state.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Irene Ugbo, disclosed this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Calabar.
Ugbo said that the NLC Chairman was kidnapped at about 7.30pm on Tuesday night by suspected kidnappers.
“The story of the kidnap of the NLC Chairman is true. He was kidnapped in Akpabuyo in his house.
“We got the report this morning. The Anti Cultism and Kidnapping Unit are on top of the situation to rescue him,” she said.
A source who pleaded anonymity told NAN on phone that the NLC Chairman was making a phone call within his residence when his abductors took him away.
“His family have been calling his line, but it has been switched off since last night and his abductors have not called up till now,” the source said.
The abducted Justice Abdul Dogo of the Federal High Court, Akure, Ondo State, has regained freedom.
According to reports, the judge, who was kidnapped on Tuesday at Ibilo town, Edo State, was reportedly set free on Friday night.
He was set to have regained his freedom together with his driver.
Meanwhile, it is yet to be ascertained whether ransom was paid following the initial demand of N50 million by his abductors.
The circumstances of his release are still sketchy.
Details later…
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has confirmed the rescue of six out of 10 persons abducted last week by gunmen at Pegi and Dafara community in Kuje Area Council.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Anjuguri Manzahp said in a statement in Abuja that a joint operation comprising other security agencies had been set up to ensure that all the kidnapped victims are set free.
Manzahp said the security agencies were working assiduously to rescue the victims, calling on the residents to be calm and support the ongoing operation with useful information to the police.
“The police are reassuring the public that it will not relent on its effort until the activities of these hoodlums and other crimes are permanently checked.
“Further steps are also being made to engage relevant stakeholders in various communities as part of renewed effort to check this crime,” the statement read in part.
The Chief of Pegi community, Mr Irimiah Sarki, also told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Kuje that the victims were freed by their abductors after families of the victims paid over N6 million ransom.
Sarki said the families of the victims paid different amounts as ransom based on negotiations with the kidnappers.
The chief, however, said some victims were molested over failure of their family members to meet the ransom demanded.
“Six people so far have been released by the kidnappers and the victims have reported to my palace.
“Some paid N3 million, N2 million, N1 million and some N800,000 depending on the negotiations with the kidnappers.
“One of them, an Okada rider, whose family could not pay any ransom, was seriously beaten and injured by the kidnappers,” he said.
According to him, four other victims are still in the custody of their abductors, including a Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officer with his two children.
On his part, Mr Isaac Taiwo, the Chairman of Pegi Community Development Association, attributed the security challenges to bad roads and dilapidated infrastructure in the area.
“They always take advantage of the bad roads linking the community to attack innocent residents, especially civil servants while returning from work.
“The lack of infrastructure in Pegi is responsible for the insecurity and the absence of social and economic development in the community.
…. Kaduna govt now battling with bandits after solving sectarian crisis
…. 2 schools in session invaded, staff and Students abducted
By Emmanuel Bagudu
After adopting effective measures that brought to an end the hostilities of intermittent sectarian and ethnic violence, authorities in Kaduna State are still up for yet another great security task. Kidnapping and banditry. “…human life has been reduced to nothing in Nigeria….” Reverend Joseph Hayap Kaduna State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) chairman stated while reacting to the killing of Esther Katung, a Pastor’s Wife in Kaduna who was murdered despite payment of N250, 000 ransom.
Kidnappers and bandits are now on the prowl in Kaduna and its neighboring communities. For the past Seven months victims ad infinitum narrate separate experiences in the hands of kidnappers and security operatives kept reeling out promises of ending the menace. All these have diminished rather than eliminated the city’s virtues with the latest lamentations coming from the Alumni of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Department (withheld). While planning to organize a re-union to celebrate 10 years since graduation, the news of the abduction of their classmate Kelvin Abbah (not real name) broke. Abbah was kidnapped at his residence in Kaduna early hours on 22nd September at about 3 a.m
By Emmanuel Bagudu
Kidnappers on Monday night made away with nine persons in the Kuje area of the city.
According to reports, among the people kidnapped was a 12-year-old boy.
The kidnapping happened in Pegi community, a resettlement area in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Witnesses said the kidnappers dressed in military camouflage struck around 8:00pm.
Several weeks ago, the Inspector general of police, Mohammed Adamu had given assurances about the safety of the city, following some abductions, the most notable of which was the kidnap of Aisha Umar Ardo, the daughter of a chieftain of the PDP who had to pay $15,000 in bitcoins to get his daughter released.
While observing that, like other climes across the world, the country has its security challenges, Adamu however noted that a comprehensive analysis of crime statistics in major cities across the world would reveal that Abuja has one of the lowest crime rates and remains indisputably one of the safest capital cities in the world.
“Federal Capital Territory Police Command has a robust anti-crime architecture which is continually rejigged to effectively tackle prevailing and emerging crimes’, the IGP said in a statement by spokesman, Frank Mba.
In a sign of worsening insecurity in the country, one person was killed while four others were abducted on Monday in Anguwan Barau, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
A member of the community said the gunmen arrived at about 4:00am and shot in the air.
One of the villagers who scampered in all directions died.
The police in Rivers State have gunned down a notorious kidnap gang leader, Linus Lebari, 35, who goes by the nickname: ‘Devil.’
The killing of Devil came barely a week after the Rivers Police Command’s outfit, ‘Operation Sting’, gunned down “Lucifer,” a notorious kidnapper.
Men of the Bori Police Station, led by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, on Sunday at about 8.16 pm, in a coordinated operation gunned down Devil, also known as ‘Bobby.’
The suspected kidnapper, who hailed from Tekon Sogho in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, and had been on the wanted list of the Police, was trailed to a criminal’s hideout in a forest at Okwale, on the boundary between Rivers and Abia States after a gun duel.
According to DSP Nnamdi Omoni, Rivers State Police Command’s spokesman, “the hoodlums on noticing irregular movements around their camp, started shooting randomly, but in a return fire from the Police, one of them was gunned down, who was later identified to be Linus Lebari from Tekon Sogho, the leader of the kidnapping gang responsible for all the attacks on the Ogoni axis of the East/West Road and whose gang has killed over 30 people in the two Local Government Areas of Khana and Gokana, after collecting ransom.”
Omoni also said during the operation, two police officers sustained gunshot wounds and were currently responding to treatment, while one locally made pistol and some cartridges were recovered.
He assured that efforts were on to arrest other gang members who fled with gunshot wounds.
The Police spokesman further said that the Commissioner of Police, CP Mustapha Dandaura, had assured the public that the onslaught against arms banditry in the State would not cease until all criminal elements were taken away, while appealing for cooperation from the public.
Bandits have released another batch of 15 people they kidnapped from Katsina State as part of the peace deal with the state government.
The 15 victims have been in the kidnappers den located in Dansadau forest in Zamfara, for 44 days.
Those released include 13 women, a one-year-old, and a baby born a day before their release.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 30 kidnapped victims were earlier released as part of the peace deal.
The state government initiated the peace dialogue with the bandits to end sustained attacks on communities in eight local government areas in the state.
A statement signed by the Director General on Media, Mr Abdu Labaran, said the victims were handed over to Gov. Aminu Masari by the Transition Committee Chairman of Jibia Local Government Area, Alhaji Haruna Musa, on Sunday afternoon in Katsina.
“The victims claimed to be ill treated by the bandits who fed them with only little, and half cooked and barely corn gruel, twice a day.
“According to the released captives, their captors did not only keep on threatening to kill them for the failure of their relatives to pay ransom demanded by the bandits, but also shot guns in the air consistently with a view to scaring and intimidating them,” he said.
Narrating her ordeal, mother of the day-old-baby, Murja, said that they were kept in a camp which initially contained 150 captives, but gradually shrunk to only 13 of them.
She said that they never believed they would regain freedom as their abductors were always in a nasty mood, threatening to kill them since their relatives have failed to pay for their release.
According to the statement, the governor declared that the 15 victims were the last of those known to be in captivity anywhere.
He said that now that all the kidnapped victims from the state had been released, “the next phase of sustaining the peace in Katsina is the surrender of arms and ammunitions by the bandits, and their rehabilitation and integration.
“The last phase, the governor added, will involve further provision of amenities like schools, clinics, roads, water points for human and animal consumptions, as well as re-demarcation of cattle routes, encroached by some farmers and converted into farm lands.”
The statement added that the government would meet with officials of Zamfara State and their counterparts in neighbouring state of Maradi in Niger Republic at the weekend to discuss on how to sustain peace process.
A 35-year-old man, Hamza Abdullahi has been detained by operatives of the FCT Police Command for allegedly arranging his own kidnap.
According to the police, the suspect arranged his kidnap in order to defraud his father.
After arranging his abduction, the suspect alongside his friend called his father and demanded N500,000 ransom.
Speaking in Abuja on how the suspect was apprehended, the Deputy Commissioner in charge of operations, DCP Sunday Babaji said: “Police detectives from this command arrested one Hamza Abdullahi and his cohort, Awalu Shuaibu for arranging his kidnap and demanding ransom from his father.
“The suspect who wanted to use the medium to extort money from his parent was arrested at Katampe extension where he had gone to receive the ransom.”
Babaji said effort is being intensified to arrest one of his cohort who is currently at large.
Speaking to The Nation on how he arranged his kidnap, Abdullahi who is an auto engineer said: “I was caught faking my kidnap to get ransom from my dad. I arranged my kidnap because I was desperately in need of money.
“I spoke with a friend of mine whom I begged to call my dad and inform him that I have been kidnapped but I was hiding at his place. My friend acted like the kidnapper and demanded N500,000 as ransom. He called my dad and asked for the ransom. He also threatened my dad that he would hurt me if the ransom was not dropped in due time.
While the negotiation was going on, we were hiding at Katampe. On the day my dad came to pay the ransom, I was recognized by some of the officers who came with my dad to drop the ransom. I think my dad had shown them my picture and one of the policemen identified me as the person kidnapped.”
On why he decided to swindle his dad, he said: “I just needed the money to cover up for some things like rent and other basic needs.”
The seven travellers from Offa Kwara State kidnapped on Kaduna-Abuja highway last Sunday have been rescued by the men of the Nigerian Army on Operation Thunder Strike.
Details shortly…