TheNewsGuru

Tag: Kidnappers

  • JUST IN: Police arrest three kingpin kidnappers in Lagos

    JUST IN: Police arrest three kingpin kidnappers in Lagos

    Lagos State Police have arrested three kingpin kidnappers and seven others in the Mushin area of the state.

    In a statement released to newsmen on Monday, the police also said it impounded 29 motorcycles in the state during the weekend.

    The statement added, “The three kingpins and the seven suspects whose identity are still being kept under wraps as a result of continuing investigation were picked up in separate locations in Mushin on Saturday evening.

    “The arrest is a follow-up to an earlier discrete investigations by the squad’s Decoy Team to Eko Boys.”

    Meanwhile, the police said the impoundment of 29 motorcycles on Friday evening was to reduce the reported incidences of traffic robbery and in enforcement of the restriction order of the State Government on the corridor for motor cyclists.

    The motorcycles were impounded on BRT lane in Ikeja Along and Ile Zik as well as Allen Junction, which are restricted routes for motorcycles.\

    CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi stated that those who flout the laws of the state would be made to face the full wrath of it.

    He disclosed that the enforcement of the restriction of motor cyclists would continue while stating that robbery in notorious spots on the corridor would reduce as soon the mode of escape for robbers in the area is taken away.

  • NTA journalist regains freedom after spending five days in Kidnappers den

    NTA journalist regains freedom after spending five days in Kidnappers den

    Five days after she was kidnapped at gunpoint at rail line axis of Woji, Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State, Mrs. Chidiebere Onyia, a reporter with the Nigeria Television Authority, Port Harcourt zonal office has regained her freedom.

    The nursing mother was said to have been released by her abductors in the early hours of Sunday, around 12:05am.

    The mother of three was abducted about 8pm last Tuesday.

    Though details of her release were still sketchy as of the time of filing this report, a source who pleaded anonymity said she was earlier taken to the hospital for medical examination and has since rejoined her family.

    When contacted, spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed her release to our correspondent, describing it as a valentine gift to journalists.

    “Yes, she has been released. It is a Valentine gift to journalists. I have on my way to see her. I will release an official statement later,” Omoni stated.

  • Police kill eight suspected kidnappers in Edo

    Police kill eight suspected kidnappers in Edo

    The Police Command in Edo has said that a total of eight suspected kidnappers were killed during various operations in the state in the last three weeks.

    The Commissioner of Police, Phillip Ogbadu, disclosed this on Friday in his maiden media briefing since assumption of office at the command headquarters in Benin.

    Ogbadu also disclosed that two kidnap victims were rescued within the period under review.

    He said “From Jan. 13 to today Feb. 5, that is three weeks since I resumed office here, we have killed eight kidnap suspects during operations.

    ” Within the period under review, the command also arrested 71 suspects for various crimes in the state.”

    He explained that those arrested included: 26 suspects for alleged cultism, 17 for alleged Armed Robbery and 11 persons for alleged kidnapping.

    Others were three suspected ritualists, six murder suspects, one rape suspect, while five suspects were arrested for alleged unlawful possession of fire-arms and two for alleged assault.

    The CP also revealed that exhibits which included two AK-47 riffles, one TO6 gun, eight locally made guns, 119 live ammunition and 27 cartridges were recovered from the suspects.

    He disclosed that eight vehicles, one motor cycle, three empty magazines and two dummy guns were also recovered.

    He said the command devised several security strategies to prevent crime and ensure a secured, safe and stable environment for economic progress and social interaction.

    “The command adopted due diligence system of administration, robust tactical operations and ensured that cases are properly investigated and prosecuted.

    “Highlights of the activities undertaken in the period under review include anti-crime patrols and raid operations around identified black spots and these are still ongoing.

    “Bush combing patrols are also ongoing in the state and townhall stakeholders meetings have commenced and will be regularly held to review the security situation.

    “Engagement of community members in accordance with community policing philosophy of the IGP, as well as intelligence-led policing will be encouraged,” he said

    He appealed to the government and people of the state for cooperation and support in all areas of human endeavour to rid the state of crimes.

    He urged members of the public, landlords, agents, traditional rulers, park operators and opinion leaders to be sensitive and responsive to strange faces seen within their communities.

  • Gunmen demand N10m ransom after kidnapping seven children from Abuja’s orphanage home

    Gunmen demand N10m ransom after kidnapping seven children from Abuja’s orphanage home

    The kidnappers of seven children from Rachel’s Orphanage Home in Naharati in the Abaji Area Council of Abuja, FCT, have demanded N10 million in ransom.

    The abductors are also asking for another N20 million ransom to be paid for the release of the security guard at the home and a couple, Momoh Jimoh and his wife, Khadijat Jimoh, abducted alongside another housewife, Rukaiyyat Salihu.

    This comes as the operators of the orphanage are said to have relocated the remaining kids to a safer location for fear of another attack.

    The kidnappers had reportedly made contact with the operators of the orphanage and the relatives of their victims.

    The operators of the orphanage have appealed to the government and public-spirited individuals for help, saying they do not have the kind of money demanded as ransom.

    It was gathered that the abductors made contact with the owners of the orphanage and relatives late Sunday evening and Monday morning, demanding the large sums.

    There are reports that the management of the home complained of hard times, saying they find it difficult feeding and clothing the orphans. They were said to have told the kidnappers that they depend on the support of corporate organisations and NGOs to feed the orphans in their care.

    FCT Police Command spokeswoman Maryam Yusuf said the police is making progress to rescue the victims alive and unhurt and appealed for calm.

  • Photo: Cross River demolishes hotel harbouring suspected kidnappers

    Photo: Cross River demolishes hotel harbouring suspected kidnappers

    The Cross River Government security outfit, “Operation Akpakwu”, has demolished the “Save side hotel” at 8miles area in Calabar for harbouring suspected kidnappers that have been terrorising the state.

    Speaking after the exercise, Mr Henry Okokon, the Security Adviser, South, to Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River, told newsmen on Saturday that most recorded kidnap cases in Calabar were planned and coordinated from the hotel.

    According to Okokon, the Homeland Security bill which was signed into law by Ayade clearly stated that “anybody who aid, abet and harbour a criminal is also guilty of the crime.

    He explained that residents of the area were equally living in fear because of the harassment from the suspected kidnappers who took over the hotel for illegal activities.

    “The demolition exercise is an ongoing process, it is part of the activities of Operation Akpakwu that was set up to fight criminality in the state, especially kidnapping.

    “The governor had warned landlords who are harbouring criminals to desist from doing so. Therefore anybody found to be harbouring, abetting or aiding crime, must definitely be held responsible.

    “This hotel is one of the buildings that have been harbouring criminals and the government has decided to bring it down.

    “Ths is a warning signal to all, and I think everybody should be aware of this. The general public should be aware that security is everyone’s business.

    “I want to state that all legal procedures were taken before this building was demolished. The police have equally done their investigation, that is why we have the Army, Navy and Air Force personnel here on ground,” he said.

    He advised landlords and hotel owners to do a thorough background check of their tenants and guest before giving accommodation out to them.

  • Amotekun arrests four suspected kidnappers in Ekiti

    Amotekun arrests four suspected kidnappers in Ekiti

    The Ekiti State Security Network Agency otherwise known as Amotekun Corps has arrested four persons suspected to be members of a kidnap unleashing terror in the state.

    The Corps Commander, Brig. General Joe Komolafe who made the disclosure on Friday while speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    Komolafe said the suspected kidnappers were arrested on Friday morning in Eda Oniyo, Ilejemeje Local Government Area of the state during a routine patrol of the security outfit.

    He said the that suspects identified as Abubakar Sule, Sheu Usman, Abubakar Babangida and Sheu Mamuda who were said to be herdsmen from Sokoto were intercepted and arrested on motorcycle around 9am.

    Komolafe added that the suspects upon interrogation could not give satisfactory response as to their mission in the state but confessed to be ‘professional kidnappers’.

    According to him, materials found on them aside the four motorcycles include long rope which he said they confessed they often use to tie kidnap victims in the bush.

    He said, “Our men on routine patrol intercepted these four persons suspected to be kidnappers on Friday morning when they were making their ways into the state from Sokoto state.

    “They told us they were coming from Ilorin, Kwara state capital on motorcycle after they were brought in from Sokoto state in a truck few days ago. Upon questioning, they said they were heading to Akungba Akoko in Ondo state but with no clear mission here.

    “What we found on them clearly gave them away as suspected kidnappers and also with their confession. One of them clearly wrote on his motorcycle in Hausa language, ‘Duniya Ba Hutu’ which means, No Peace in this world.

    “None of the motorcycles has number plate or documents to show ownership.”

    Komolafe noted the suspects would be handed over to the police for further investigation, adding that the security outfit wouldn’t rest on its oars until criminality reduce to the barest minimum in the state.

    He said the arrest of the kidnap suspect was product of well-syncronized search and 24hrs surveillance which was aimed at safeguarding lives and property in the state.

  • Insecurity: How Nigerians paid $18.34m ransom to kidnappers in 10 years – Report

    Insecurity: How Nigerians paid $18.34m ransom to kidnappers in 10 years – Report

    By Emman Ovuakporie
    It is absurd but the truth that kidnapping in Nigeria has become so lucrative and within a period of ten years it has generated $18.34million into the pockets of kidnappers across the country.
    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) in this report based on an extensive research carried out by SBMorgan entitled: Kidnap Problems in Nigeria: The Economics of the Kidnap Industry in Nigeria revealed the underbelly of the menace of kidnapping that has turned into a national disgrace.
    In the report, the Niger Delta Region appears to be worst hit among ten states that have high prevalence of the burgeoning kidnapping industry.
    Three states in the region according to the report have the highest number of kidnap incidents namely: Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers.
    See statistics below;
    *Rivers-120
    *Delta-96
    *Bayelsa-85
    Other states with high prevalence of kidnap incidents looking into ten states across Nigeria between June 2011- March 2020 include;
    Rivers-120
    Kaduna-117
    Delta-96
    Bayelsa-85
    Borno-82
    Kogi-59
    Edo-55
    Ondo-54
    Katsina-52
    Taraba-47
    Read Report Below:
    Insecurity in Nigeria has risen sharply in the last few years. In every region of the country, there are at least two major security crises, and we have reached a point where the Nigerian military was, as of December 2019, deployed on policing duties in every state of the country bar Kebbi and the FCT.
    The Boko Haram insurgency marked a decade in 2019 and has coloured much of the security atmosphere in the last decade. In the North West and North Central, pastoral conflict
    between farmers and herders have led to increasing hostilities.
    Youth gang violence is rife in the three geopolitical zones of the south, as well as armed robbery and sea piracy in the South West and South East. In all of these, the spate of kidnapping is a feature in all parts of the country. Kidnap for ransom is a lucrative business in Nigeria as the case of Chukwudi Dumee Onuamadike, better known as “Evans‘, as well as Hamisu Bala Wadume who operated out of the North East until he was arrested in 2019.
    Military Operations (Exercise & Region)
    MILITARY OPERATIONS IN NIGERIA
    For years, following the increasing spate of insecurity across the
    federation, the Nigerian military has been actively involved in one
    operation or another is no less than 35 status in the federation.
    Tsafan Daji
    North West
    Sokoto, Kaduna Zamfara
    AYEM AKPATUMA II
    North Central and parts of North Western states
    Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Taraba, Kaduna, Niger
    EXPLANATION
    EGWU EKE IV – 5 STATES WITH OPERATION
    EGWU EKE IV EXERCISE – NO MILITARY EXERCISE
    1 STATE PLUS ABUJA WITH NO MILITARY EXERCISE
    LAFIYA DOLE 4 STATES WITH OPERATION
    LAFIYA DOLE EXERCISE
    CROCODILE SMILE IV
    12 STATES WITH OPERATION
    CROCODILE SMILE IV
    AYAM AKPATUMA II 13 STATES WITH OPERATION
    AYEM AKPATUMA II EXERCISE N/A
    BAUCHI STATES HAS MILITARY PRESENCE BUT WITH NO
    SBM Intelligence analysed data covering the period from June 2011
    to the end of March 2020 using a collection of public sources, police and media reports, as well as SBM’s extensive research network spread across the country.
    What we have found shows that between June 2011 and the end of March 2020, at least $18.34 million has been paid to kidnappers as ransom. Even more frightening is that the larger proportion of that figure (just below $11 million), was paid out between January 2016 and March 2020, indicating that kidnapping is becoming more lucrative.
    In terms of the absolute number of reported kidnap incidents, four
    of the top 10 states with a high number of kidnap incidents over the
    last decade are in the South-South geopolitical zone, with three of
    them, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers being a part of the Niger Delta. These
    three are also the states with the strongest history of Niger Delta
    militancy.
    Kaduna – the state with the second-highest number of incidents – also has a significant history of violence, especially along its connecting road to Abuja. While it is not in the top 10, Abuja has the 11th highest number of kidnap incidents over the last decade, and there is anecdotal evidence that some of the perpetrators responsible for Kaduna’s high rate of kidnap attempts have extended their operations into the federal capital.
  • Exposed! How kidnappers use fish net to trap vehicles on Okene -Benin road [Video]

    Exposed! How kidnappers use fish net to trap vehicles on Okene -Benin road [Video]

    It has been exposed as to how kidnappers use fish nets to entangle tyres of vehicles traveling along Okene-Benin road via Anagbette in Edo State.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports via a trending video online how suspected kidnappers use well woven fish net to trap vehicles.

    In the video clip, the narrator displayed the fish net and the arrested kidnapper who tried to stop a vehicle trapped with the net at Anagbette in Edo State unfortunately he was arrested by the vigilantes.

    In the video, the recalcitrant kidnapper said nobody can dare enter their camp in the forest because it’s fortified.

    He told the narrator during interrogation that he’s not scared of going to the police because nothing will happen to him if taken there.

    He claimed to be a a Nigerian but refused to identify his state in the video clip.

    Watch full video here: https://www.instagram.com/thenewsgurung/

  • Police arrest suspected kidnapper of Oyo lawmaker’s sister

    Police arrest suspected kidnapper of Oyo lawmaker’s sister

    The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a suspected kidnapper of a lawmaker’s sister, Jumoke Babalola.

    In a statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer, Fadeyi Olugbenga, 35-year-old Babalola was abducted by armed men while returning from her shop by unknown armed men.

    Following the abduction, the police spokesman said the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the Command swung into action.

    “One Jumoke Babalola Oludele ‘f’ age 35 yrs that was kidnapped while returning from her shop by an unknown armed man, one suspect arrested after the anti-kidnapping squad of the Oyo Police Command swung into action,” the statement partly read.

    “The suspect is currently being quizzed to obtain useful information. The effort intensified to rescue the hostage and also to arrest the culprits. Further development shall unfold soonest, please.”

  • Gunmen abduct Abuja-bound passengers in Edo

    Gunmen abduct Abuja-bound passengers in Edo

    An unspecified number of passengers in an Abuja-bound commercial bus have been reportedly kidnapped along the Benin-Auchi road in Edo State.

    It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 11am, between the Ehor and Iruekpen axis of the highway.

    A commuter, who identified himself as Idris Audu, who spoke with journalists in Benin on phone, said the kidnappers struck at a failed portion of the road and abducted all the passengers in the commercial bus operated by a Benin-based transport company, Big Joe.

    Audu said: “The kidnappers struck again on the Benin-Auchi road and abducted an unspecified number of passengers.

    “The incident just happened when I passed the spot. All the passengers were forcefully taken into the bush.

    “It is not the first time this is happening. We have cried many times that the security agencies should increase surveillance along the road this season, but they’re slow in arresting this ugly situation.”

    Also speaking, a driver of the transport company, who requested not to be named, but confirmed the incident, simply said; “Yes, it happened earlier today.”

    When contacted on phone, the State Police Command’s spokesman, Chidi Nwabuzor, said he was yet to be briefed of the development.

    “I am not aware of it. Some incidents are not reported and even when they are, because they are from local government divisions, they do not get to us immediately. So, give us some time for us to get in touch with the officers and men in the affected area,” Mr Nwabuzor said.

    On 3 December, a member of a vigilante group in the Urhokosa/Obagie area of the Benin-Auchi highway was killed by kidnappers after several passengers were kidnapped.

    This is even as several cases of kidnapping have been reported in the last few weeks along the road and other parts of the state.