TheNewsGuru

Tag: Kidnappers

  • Kidnapped Ondo poly lecturer dies in abductors’ den

    One of the four victims of the last week’s kidnapping in Ondo State has reportedly died in the custody of the abductors, six days after the abduction.

    The victim, who is also a lecturer at the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, was identified as Taiwo Akinyemi and reportedly died on Sunday.

    Four persons, including the deceased, were kidnapped by some Fulani gunmen on the Akure-Owo Expressway at Amurin Village in Owo, Owo Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday. The other three victims were members of staff of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo. But the other victims had been released.

    The remains of the 52-year-old lecturer were said to have been found in a bush tied to a tree on Sunday evening. It was learnt that the deceased was killed by the abductors for the alleged failure of his family to produce the ransom on time.

    Following the development, the students and lecturers of the Polytechnic on Monday held a procession on the campus as a mark of respect for the late lecturer.

    The State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, who visited the school to commiserate with the academic community described the death of the lecturer as unfortunate.

    Addressing journalists over the death of Akinyemi, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnic, RUGIPO chapter, Mr. Chris Olowolade, described the death of his colleague as sad and unfortunate.

    He explained that the union had entered into negotiations with the kidnappers in order to secure his release but said, “We lost him to the kidnappers and we received his corpse yesterday ( Sunday).”

    He added, “The kidnappers placed a ransom of N100m on him which nobody can afford but they reduced it to N7m after two days and later grudgingly asked us to come with N500,000.

    “The money was taken to them and the person who took the money was directed by the kidnappers where he should drop the money. They asked him to stop, reverse and move just to confirm if he was the actual person bringing the money.

    “But after some hours they called that the man bringing the money should come back that they didn’t see the money, only to be called by the Rector yesterday to go and identify a corpse ”

    “We rushed to the morgue and discovered it was his (Akinyemi) corpse. He was tied to a tree with his clothes and left his remains in the bush. The body was recovered by the police and deposited at the morgue, it showed he was badly maltreated before he was killed.”

    The governor, while speaking with the staff and students of the institution, explained that the state government and the security operatives made attempt to rescue the deceased

    He said, “it is unfortunate that the man couldn’t return home alive. The incident happened some five minutes after I passed the place and I had to deploy some security men in my convoy to the place to rescue the victims”

    “These kidnappers have become more daring and desperate, this is because we are moving towards festive period but the state police command have assured that they will not limit their operation to stop and search only but they will also increase the road patrol”

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Joseph, who confirmed the killing of the kidnapped lecturer also described his death as unfortunate, saying all other victims had regained their freedom.

    Joseph said men of the state police command have been on the trail of the kidnappers but said no arrest had been made.

    He said, “We have resolved to increase our manpower on our roads with more patrol to reduce the activities of these criminals to the barest minimum.

    “I can assure you that justice will be done and the search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts, to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the kidnappers who committed this act and those who harbour them.”

  • Police kill kidnap suspect, arrest one other in Lagos

    Police kill kidnap suspect, arrest one other in Lagos

    The Police in Lagos, on Sunday said they had gunned down a suspected kidnapper and arrested one other during exchange of gunfire with the syndicate.

    The Lagos Police spokesman, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the arrest in a statement, stressing that the incident happened at Agbowa area of Ikorodu, a suburb of Lagos State.

    Oti said the two suspects belong to a kidnapping syndicate terrorizing some parts of the state, particularly Ikorodu area, stressing that two other suspects escaped with bullet wounds after exchanged of gunfire.

    According to him, the Anti-kidnapping Squad of the State Command, acted on the directive of the Command’s Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi, on Friday, at about 11 a.m.

    He said that the command received two separate reports on Nov. 13 and 16 from one Suleiman Eniola Ajumobi and one Veronica Ewuru about the kidnapping of their daughter and husband respectively.

    “While Suleiman Eniola Ajumobi reported that his 7-year-old daughter was kidnapped from his house in his presence.

    “Veronica Ewuru stated that her husband, one DSP Patrick Ewuru, a police officer attached to Force Headquarters annex, Obalende, was kidnapped from their house in the night when the victim came out to check on the Power Generating Set that suddenly stopped working.

    “The kidnappers demanded for ransom of N25 million from Mr Suleiman and N10 million from the family of DSP Patrick Ewuru but later settled for N500, 000 for both families.

    “At this point, the CP directed operatives handling the matter to play along with the kidnappers in the interest of the victims, who were still in captivity,” he said.

    The spokesman said that as soon as the release of the two victims was secured, the kidnappers hideout at Agbowa was busted, where one Festus Abama was killed and Austin Ebimiyenwei surrendered.

    Oti said that the arrested suspect confessed to the crime, while the victim had identified them as those who kidnapped them.

    He said that concerted effort was being made to arrest those on the run, while the suspect already in police custody would be charged to court.

     

  • DSS arrests IS bomb expert, 10 kidnappers in Adamawa

    The Department of State Service (DSS) has arrested an alleged expert producing Improvised Explosive Devices for terrorist group, Islamic State, in West Africa, Abbas Abubakar, in the Toungo Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

    The DSS said Abubakar, also known as Sambo, was arrested on Monday by operatives, while 10 suspected kidnappers were also arrested in Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi and Edo states.

    According to findings, Sambo was believed to an IED expert for the Islamic State and investigations were ongoing to fish out his accomplices.

    The DSS said on October 25, its operatives also arrested five suspected kidnappers in the Riga Chikun area of Kaduna State. Their names were given as: Isa Ahmadu, Suleiman Umar, Ibrahim Mallam, Ishaku Saidu and Mansur Mallam.

    According to the DSS, after preliminary investigation, the group’s hideout in Katsina State was raided and two other members, Muhammadu Ibrahim and Muhammed Isa, also were nabbed.

    Also in the Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, three kidnap suspects – Abdulhamid Isa, Adamu Adagiri and Nuhu Ahmed – who were allegedly in areas between Kogi and Edo states operating, were arrested.

    The DSS Public Relations Officer, Peter Afunanya, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, confirmed the arrest of the suspected IS bomb expert and the kidnap suspects.

    He noted that the suspects would be charged to court after investigations.

    He said, “In its determination to contain the menace of kidnapping, the DSS has arrested high profile kidnappers and notorious elements in different locations. At Toungo LGA of Adamawa State, Abbas Abubakar, a suspected Improvised Explosives Device expert for the Islamic State in West Africa, was apprehended.

    “Investigations have so far uncovered leads that will enable the DSS and other sister agencies to address the menace. All the suspects will undoubtedly be prosecuted in accordance with the law. The DSS reassures the public that the tempo of these operations will be sustained and strengthened.

    “The service, therefore, enjoins everyone to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and avail them information that would guarantee peace, especially during the coming Yuletide and the general elections.”

  • JUST IN: Police arrest alleged kidnappers of corps members in Imo

    The Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Imo State Police Command has arrested the alleged kidnappers of five corpers.

    The victims were kidnapped on the Umuapu axis of the Owerri/Port Harcourt expressway on October 23 on their way to the NYSC orientation camps in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

    Their kidnappers had accosted the vehicles they were travelling in.

    The policemen who were on duty around the area of the incident intervened and rescued the victims same day.

    The state Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, told our correspondent on Wednesday that the suspects were arrested following investigation which was launched on the abduction.

    The CP, who described the abduction of the corps members who were traveling from Ibadan, Oyo State, said that the Tactical Unit of the command was activated to achieve the feat.

    The CP alleged that the suspects had been involved in other kidnap incidents, armed robbery and murder cases.

    He gave the names of the suspects as Wisdom Nwobodo, 22, from Ikwerre in Rivers State; Okoro Emenike, 20, from Apani, also in Ikwerre: Chukwu Wisdom, 19, from Umuapu in Imo State; and two others

    He said that the suspects were arrested on October 28 at Nkaraha junction on the Owerri-Port Harcourt expressway by his gallant officers.

    Galadanchi said, “We intercepted the suspects with 16 different types of handsets, three different ATM cards, some charms, one television set, compact disc with two speakers, one red mask, one Access Bank cheque book, and a small quantity of Indian hemp.

    “During interrogations, suspects confessed to cultism, kidnapping around Ohaji axis of Imo State and killing of one Augustine Ejimebu, 69, from Apani in Ikwerre, Rivers State.

    They also confessed to being responsible for the kidnap of the five corps members who were traveling from Ibadan, the Oyo state capital to Rivers and Akwa Ibom states for the NYSC orientation programme.”

    The CP, who ascribed the breakthrough to the community policing strategies of the Inspector General of Police, which his command was implementing, said that the suspects would be arraigned in court.

     

  • Drama in court as kidnappers attack judge after issuing death sentence

    Drama in court as kidnappers attack judge after issuing death sentence

    A judge of the Akwa Ibom State High Court, Justice Okon Okon, escaped death on Tuesday as some convicts attacked him on the court premises in Uyo for sentencing them to death.

    It was learnt that as soon as the presiding judge pronounced the death sentence on the kidnappers, the convicts started to abuse him. They also threatened to kill the Akwa Ibom State Government’s prosecution team.

    The criminals later went berserk, destroying the window of the courtroom and causing pandemonium along Ikot Ekpene Road, where the court is located.

    A source said, “The situation became messy, as litigants and lawyers in other courts ran helter-skelter for dear lives.

    “For about an hour, the kidnappers refused to leave the courtroom. It took the intervention of a combined team of soldiers and policemen to take the convicts to a waiting prison vehicle.”

    The names of the convicts were given as Bernard Ajomaya, Christian Naya, Daniel West and Shedrach Dala.

    They were accused of kidnapping a medical expert in Uyo, Dr Usen Bassey, on May 19, 2015, and demanding N10m ransom.

    They were later arrested with part of their loot, the passport and financial documents belonging to the doctor.

     

  • Breaking: Police arrest, parade vicious, notorious Benue armed gang [Photos]

    Breaking: Police arrest, parade vicious, notorious Benue armed gang [Photos]

    The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have arrested and paraded vicious and notorious suspects responsible for selling and supply of AK47 rifles and other firearms and ammunition to armed bandits, militias and criminal herdsmen/farmers in Benue and Taraba states.

    TheNewsGuru reports the major breakthrough in the arrest of the notorious gang of dealers in prohibited firearms and ammunition in Benue and Taraba states was made known on Tuesday when the suspects were paraded at the Benue State Police Command Headquarters.

    The Police paraded one 36 years old Morris Ashwe, an illegal firearms Dealer, who is said to be a native of Mbajima Village of Katsina Ala LGA of Benue State, reportedly working for one Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana.

    Morris Ashwe, 36
    Morris Ashwe, 36

    Recovered from Morris were five (5) AK47 Rifles, two hundred and thirty eight (238) rounds of AK47 ammunition, forty (40) smoke grenade canisters and seventy-nine (79) LAR rifle ammunition.

    Arms and ammunition
    Recovered arms and ammunition

    Also arrested and paraded are illegal firearms dealers: Kabiru Idris, 43 years, a principal suspect, who was arrested in Takum town, Taraba state; Miracle Emmanuel, also a principal suspect and gang leader, 27 years native of Anambra state, and Husseini Safiyanu, a native of Taraba state, who is also a principal suspect.

    Suspects and recovered arms on parade
    Suspects and recovered arms on parade
    Recovered ammunition and smoke grenade canisters
    Recovered ammunition and smoke grenade canisters

    Recovered from the suspects were five (5) AK47 rifles, thirteen (13) AK47 magazines, eighty three (83) rounds of AK47 ammunition and two (2) Beretta Pistols.

    Police parade suspects
    Police parade suspects

    The NPF also arrested and paraded Emmanuel Ushehemba Kwembe, 28 years native of Ushongo LGA; Sekad Uver, 28 years native of Koshisha LGA; Ordure Fada, 22 years native of Kwande LGA, and Stephen Jirgba, 18 years native of Vande kya LGA, all in Benue State; and who are said to be kidnappers/armed robbers.

    Suspects on parade
    Suspects on parade

    The Police also arrested and paraded Peter Lorham, 24 years native of Kinshisha; Achir Gabriel, 30 years native of Ushongo, and Lorhemen Akwambe, 35 years native of Guma, alleged to be kidnappers/armed robbers.

    Smoke grenade canisters recovered from suspects
    Smoke grenade canisters recovered from suspects

    “The renewed strategies adopted by the NPF to stop the incessant killings of innocent Nigerians and curtail the proliferation of firearms across the country, most especially in the North-Central States have been yielding positive results,” the Police said in a statement.

    TheNewsGuru reports the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IGP IRT) and the Police Special Forces mandated by the IGP to work with Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba State Commands, in the last two weeks, arrested the 11 suspects mentioned within Benue and Taraba States and recovered from them the 10 AK47 rifles and the other assorted firearms and ammunition.

    The suspects confessed to have been responsible for supply of AK47 rifles and other firearms and ammunition to armed bandits, militias, and criminal herdsmen/farmers in Benue and Taraba States.

    Morris confessed and admitted to have been supplying firearms and ammunition to the notorious and most wanted vicious and notorious gang leader of militia, murderers and kidnappers Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana.

    “Terwase Akwaza aka Ghana was declared wanted by the NPF for the merciless killings of several innocent persons and wanton destruction of properties worth millions of Naira, at Zaki Biam in Benue State on 20/3/2017 and for other violent crimes,” the Police said.

    The Police revealed that the suspected kidnappers were arrested in the act of movement to kidnap a prominent person in Makurdi Benue State.

    “The arrest was made possible from intelligence gathered by the IGP Intelligence Response Team,” the Police stated.

    The suspects confessed to have been responsible for several kidnappings in Benue, Taraba and some part of Nasarawa State in the recent past.

    According to the Police, “Investigation is being strengthened to arrest other suspects at large. All suspects will be arraigned in court on completion of investigation”.

    “The deployment of additional Fifteen (15) Police mobile Force units to augment the strength of the Benue State Police Command has beefed-up security in the State and help in sustaining the peace that have been restored to the state,” the Police said.

    The Force assured the people of Benue and other contiguous state of its commitment to sustain the peace that has been restored in those states.

     

     

  • Kidnappers free Otun Olubadan’s twins

    The abducted twins of the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Lekan Balogun, have been freed.

    A source alleged that their abductors released them after collecting N10 million ransom.

    The children were kidnapped with their mother last week, but she was pushed out of their vehicle after her SIM card was seized.

    The children were freed on Monday evening.

    Police spokesman Adekunle Ajisebutu confirmed the development to newsmen on Tuesday.He said the command would arrest the abductors.

    When asked if ransom was paid to secure the release of the children, he declined comment.

    Pressed further, he said: “I can confirm to you that the children have been released by the abductors. However, we are making efforts to arrest the culprits. I’m not aware of any ransom paid; I can’t confirm that. I will not make further comments, which can jeopardise investigations.”

    The Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso 1, has visited Oba Balogun.

    He said the kidnappers would be brought to justice.

    Represented by his younger brother, 80-year-old Ambali, the first-class monarch described the incident as wicked and ungodly.

    Also on the delegation was the Personal Assistant and Director of Media and Public Affairs to the Olubadan, Mr. Adeola Oloko .

    Former governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja on Wednesday also sympathised with Oba Balogun on phone.

    His Chief Press Secretary, Alhaji Lanre Latinwo, said Ladoja had been away from Ibadan since last Thursday.

  • Police apprehend 4 suspected kidnappers in Kebbi

    The Kebbi Police Command has apprehended four suspected kidnappers in Koko-Basse Local Government Area of Kebbi and retrieved N800,000 ransom they collected from their victims.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Mustapha Suleiman, told newsmen in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday that they were apprehended by police patrol team along Koko-Basse- Fakai Road after the gang completed their operations.

    “The suspects are Mohammadu Mani, Muhammadu Muhammad, Umar Mohammadu and Abdulkarim Isiya who were caught while heading to Zuru Local Government Area.

    “All the ransom they had collected from their victims were retrieved and they will be charged to court for proper prosecution,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the suspects had kidnapped one leader of the Fulani community in Koko-Basse, Alhaji Aliyu Dikko, and collected N300, 000 out of N3 million ransom demanded from his family before he was released.

    The suspects also collected N500, 000 from a victim, whose identity could not be ascertained before they were arrested by the police.

  • 750 Cattle rustlers, Kidnappers renounce violence in Kaduna

    A total of 750 criminals, including cattle rustlers, bandits and kidnappers have sworn to an oath to abandon their illegal activities in Anchau village, Kubau Local Government area of Kaduna State.

    400 of the repentant criminals swore by the Holy Qur’an three weeks ago while another batch of 350 took the oath on Saturday to abandon their criminal way of life.

    Mr Austin Iwar, the Commissioner of Police told newsmen on Sunday that the criminals were made to repent after intensive dialogue involving community leaders.

    According to him, the repentant criminals took advantage of the window of opportunity opened by the government and the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris.

    He said that as part of the programme, those who renounced violence would also handover their weapons to government.

    The police commissioner, however, said that the recovery of arms would not be made public, so as to build trust and encourage other criminals operating in the state to also repent.

    “I assure you very soon we will begin to recover most of these arms, as some of them have volunteered to handover their arms back, but not in public.”

    He said that the repentant criminals were using the deep forests in the area as hideout, from where they terrorise communities.

    “One of the strategies we decided to adopt is to see how we can get across to some communities leaders in the context of community policing programme we are doing.

    “If you want to solve a problem you have to work with people that created the problem; we also held series of meetings with hunters as prelude to the series of activities we call Renouncing Violence Strategies.”

    Iwar described the event as very important to the efforts being made to restore peace and stability in the state.

    “Having young people that are roaming in the bush committing all forms of crimes to come out and renounce violence, swear by Holy Qur’an that they will not go back to violence again is very important.

    “You will understand that it is a very difficult decision for a criminal to come out in public and announce the atrocities he has been doing.”

    Head of Anchau Vigilante Service, Malam Audu Sallau commended the security operatives for their total support to the programme.

    Sallau said, “none of the repentant criminals was forced to do so, they voluntarily saw reason to renounce violence, and since the commencement of the programme our communities are now relatively peaceful.”

     

  • Kidnappers free wife, son of Nigerian journalist after receiving N2m ransom

    The wife and son of a journalist who were kidnapped on Wednesday have been released.

    The victims were kidnapped when the attackers stormed the Kaduna home of Nasiru Yakubu, a journalist with Voice of America.

    Recall that a neighbour of Yakubu who tried to stop the kidnappers was killed in the process.

    ‎Yakubu confirmed the release of his family, saying he paid N2 million as ransom.

    “Slm. Friends I’m happy to inform you that my wife and her kid were released by their abductors this night after collecting 2million Naira as ransom.

    “I appreciate your concern ALL!” he wrote on his Facebook wall.

    The kidnappers earlier demanded N12 million ransom but later reduced to N2 million after negotiations.