TheNewsGuru

Tag: Kidnappers

  • What my abductors almost used me for – Osun lawmaker’s father reveals

    What my abductors almost used me for – Osun lawmaker’s father reveals

    Pa Muftau Lawal, the father of Adewunmi Kofoworola Babajide, the lawmaker representing Ede North State Constituency in Osun State House of Assembly has narrated his experience in the hands of his kidnappers and how he was almost used for ritual.

    In Auguts Pa Lawal was reportedly abducted at his residence in Ede.

    Speaking in an interview, Lawal narrated how unknown individuals came to his house on motorcycles and threatened to kill him.

    According to him, “I was in front of my house in the evening when I saw these people in their numbers. They alighted from motorcycles and some children who were playing beside where I sat, ran away. Some of them said they should burn me alive while some said they should gun me down and I was already scared when one of them said they should pour petrol on me and set me alight.

    “Not long after they left, another set of people came and immediately they alighted from the motorcycle, ordered me to climb the motorcycle. I asked them where are you taking me to? One of them responded, ‘we are taking to you to meet your son, Akogun’. Because of my age, my sight is already blurry, I couldn’t see clearly as we were going. But after a while, I noticed we were on Ilesha route, because that’s my route when I was young.

    “I asked again, where are you taking me to and the one behind me said ‘if you ask any question again, we will kill you here’. I stopped asking them questions. We were going on a high speed. Then, it was already dark, so I can’t see anything again.

    “Later, we got to a place, there is a house there and I was asked to go inside. I met an old man with a boy, the man is a herbalist and he welcomed me. Those who carried me to the place left. I saw the herbalist as he consulted his oracle; after many incantations, the herbalist asked me if we have any deity in our family and I told him no, that we don’t have any deity but my wife family has one they do worship which is “Sango”– God of lightening. The herbalist now said, ‘I can see’ as he shook his head. Later, I noticed that he was calling those who brought me to him to come and carry me that I can’t be used.

    “Those who brought me didn’t answer and I was there for weeks before they came back six days ago around 3am to carry me. As we were going in the middle of the night, I noticed that a car was coming behind us and not quite long, the motorcycle that they used to carry me stopped and I was asked to enter the car. It was the car that carried me to Lokoja in the morning.

    “The car, which carried me, after getting to Lokoja, asked about any Police station to present myself to them and explain how I got there, which I did. It was there in the station they contacted some people in Osun to get my son’s phone number. They called him to inform him that I came to explain how I got to Lokoja. It was my son who arranged how I got back to Osun.”

  • Police rescue baby, kill 3 alleged kidnappers in Edo

    Police rescue baby, kill 3 alleged kidnappers in Edo

    The police command in Edo on Wednesday said it rescued a one-year-old baby and killed three alleged kidnappers on the Benin-Auchi Road.

    This is contained in a statement by ASP Jennifer Iwegbu, Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of the command.

    “Distress call was raised by distraught residents of Achigbor Community along Benin- Auchi Road in Uhunmwonde LGA of Edo State at 1930hrs on 13/09/2022.

    “Police operatives on pin-down along that axis immediately mobilised and moved to the scene, where they came to an empty compound that had been vandalised, and heard one Elizabeth Ojo, 42,  screaming that her baby had been taken.

    “She said some hoodlums suspected to be kidnappers vandalised her property and whisked her baby away into a bush,” the official said.

    She said that the operatives  moved into the bush for possible rescue of the baby.

    According to her, the suspects, on sighting the operatives, threw the baby into the bush and opened fire on them.

    “In the firefight with the police operatives, three of the six kidnappers succumbed to our superior firepower.

    “The other three are still on the run while further bush combing of that area is ongoing.

    “The baby was rescued unhurt and has been handed over to the mother,” she said.

    She added that a double-barrel gun, a cutlass and an axe were recovered from the suspects.

    According to her, the state Commissioner of Police Abutu Yaro,  while commending the operatives for the feat, urged  the state residents to be more security conscious.

  • Two Imo wedding guests freed by kidnappers

    Two Imo wedding guests freed by kidnappers

    Kidnappers of wedding guests at Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State have freed two of the three victims after two weeks that they were declared missing.

     

    The victims are Collins Alaefula, Mmadu Promise and Victor Chibuike.

     

    It was gathered that the two released victims reportedly paid ransoms before their abductors freed them.

     

    Brother to one of the victims, Fortune, explained that his sibling, Promise, and one other, were released on Friday by their abductors.

     

    Fortune said, Yes, my brother and one other have been released. They were released on Friday. It was actually a case of kidnap and not missing persons. I don’t know the name of the other person who was released alongside my brother. I have not seen them but I am on my way to where they are.’’

     

    The victims who were in a Lexus 330 vehicle were declared missing on August 28 after they left a wedding in Isiala Mbano LGA to Owerri, their base.

     

    After their whereabouts were not unknown, their families declared them missing and reported the situation at a police station in Owerri.

     

    Their kidnappers were said to have contacted their families a few days after and demanded an undisclosed amount as ransom before they would release them.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com could not ascertain the reason the third person was not freed.

     

    Recall that two months ago, the Imo State youths held a protest over the killing of wedding guests.

     

    The Protesting youths from the Awo-mamma community in the state’s Oru East and Oru West Local Government Areas barricaded the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, calling for the disbandment of Ebubeagu.

     

    However, the Department of State Security (DSS) stated that, contrary to popular belief, the assassination was carried out by members of IPOB/militia ESN’s wing who assembled to plan their nefarious actions ahead of Monday’s illegal sit-in.

  • Police neutralise 14 trying to kill 4 kidnappers in custody

    Police neutralise 14 trying to kill 4 kidnappers in custody

    Not fewer than 14 people have been shot dead by Police in Madagascar and 28 others injured after they tried to break into a police station to kill four men accused of kidnapping an albino child.

    The kidnapping took place last week, according to Razafintsiandraofa, an MP for the Ikongo district, about 80 kilometers southeast of the capital Antananarivo.

    According to reports, a mob of about 500 angry villagers armed with machetes and knives stormed the local police station in Ikongo, calling for the release of the four suspects arrested on Sunday, August 28, to deal with them.

    The protesters “then tried to break into the station,” a police officer told AFP.

  • Actress Cynthia Okereke shares experience in the hands of kidnappers

    Actress Cynthia Okereke shares experience in the hands of kidnappers

    Freed nollywood actress, Cynthia Okereke who was kidnapped alongside her colleague, Clemson Cornel Agbogidi, on their way back from a location has shared her experience in the hands of the abductors few days after her release from their custody.

    The two actors were abducted in Enugu and released on Wednesday.

    The Actors Guild of Nigeria had said the kidnappers released the actors because they were “touched by the spirit of God.”

    Sharing her experience on Friday, Cynthia thanked her colleagues, fans, security agencies, and other stakeholders who contributed to their release.

    She said they were not fed anything during the seven days they spent in captivity.

    : “My people, this is mama Cynthia Okereke, God is a faithful God and I have every reason to say Hallelujah in the land of the living. I didn’t know I have people and I have friends, good colleagues, people that care for me, people that can pray for me, verge for me and stand on my behalf.

    “My BP is high but to God be all glory for all of you, your efforts, your prayers and your encouragement. Mama Cynthia is alive, I will act for you people and will continue to be acting for your people. Me, I will be a late comer there, for good one week, no water no food but today I say to God be all glory forever in Jesus name. God will bless all Nollywood for me.”

  • Gov. Mohammed says his battle ready for criminals

    Gov. Mohammed says his battle ready for criminals

    Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed has disclosed that his government is battle ready to confront bandits, kidnappers and all other forms of criminality in the state.

    Mohammed stated this on Monday when he paid a sympathy visit to the family of ex-Governor Ahmed Muazu In Boto village, Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state.

    Newsmen reports that some family members of the former governor were recently kidnapped while a 25-year-old man was killed in the process.

    “We are going to take stringent measures, some of those measures that are outside the security rules engagement, we are going to use vigilante and community relations.

    “Because this is the house of a former governor and those people who came, the hooligans and the charlatans, they came to insult us.

    “It  is a big affront and we want to take it as such, we  will not sleep until we get them, we  will not sleep until we protect our leaders because we have been exposed to the vagaries of expectations,” he said

    According to him, “this is a  pure village settlement, it is not his fault that his relations are here and certainly we have to protect everyone and we know that they have informants.

    “But our security agencies are working very hard to make sure they protect us and apprehend them”.

    The governor, however, urged   District Heads, Village Heads and local government executives to share information for curbing criminality.

    “Please, don’t sleep, because nobody will do that for you; you have to protect yourselves; you have to stand up and protect yourselves; they cannot overcome us but we have to overcome them.”

    “We know their routes, they are coming from Plateau state through Kurgwi to Kardam and Lere and so on.

    “Insha Allah, since we know their routes and with technology, we are going to get them,” he said.

    Mohammed said that his administration commiserated with the affected families, and assured to get to the hoodlums, adding that  “we are going to be very daring against them”.

    Earlier, Police Commissioner, Umar Sanda assured that his Officers and men are on top of the situation and very soon they will make a breakthrough in apprehending the criminals.

    Sanda promised to continue to do his best to effectively police the entire state and keep the residents safe and protected.

  • Kidnappers free abducted church leaders for cigarettes, gin, rice

    The kidnappers of two worshippers last Monday, at the Celestial Church of Christ, Oshofa, Wasimi, in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State, have regained freedom after cigarettes, gin and rice were issued as ransom.

     

    The founder of the church, Oluwatomisin Olugbebi, said the victims were released on Saturday after N1m was also paid as ransom to the kidnappers.

     

    It was gathered that the kidnappers, who wore masks and fez caps, invaded the church and abducted the Assistant Shepherd (assistant pastor) of the parish, Oluwaseun Ajose, and a Sunday school teacher, Dagunro Ayobami.

     

    The kidnappers had reduced their demand from N50m to N10m last Thursday.

     

    He said, “They called on Saturday morning and demanded foodstuffs (rice, beans), cigarettes and gin. They said we should pay N1m for the two of them. I pleaded with them that we didn’t even have up to that, but they said they won’t accept anything less than a million.

     

    “When we heard this, the family of the victims sat on how to get the money and they raised a total of N221,000. Thankfully, well-wishers and other church members balanced it up.

     

    “They did not give a specific location where we should drop the money. They asked to speak to the sister of one of the victims and told her to come to a certain location. When she got there, she called them and they told her to give the phone to the bike rider.

     

    “They told the bike rider their location without disclosing it to her. The bike rider then took her to the location where the money and the requested foodstuffs were dropped. After like 10 minutes, they asked her to come and pick them (victims) up at the bus stop.”

     

    The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, confirmed the release.

     

    He said, “They regained their freedom last night (Saturday) due to sustained pressure mounted by the police on the kidnappers.”

  • Anambra abducted lawmaker beheaded

    Anambra abducted lawmaker beheaded

    Anambra abducted lawmaker representing Aguata II Constituency at the State House of Assembly, Hon Okechukwu Okoye, has been beheaded by his kidnappers.

     

    Okoye’s head was found at Nnobi in Idemili South local government area where it was hanged.

     

    His body was not there with indications strong the killers made away with it.

     

    The lawmaker was kidnapped last week, alongside his aide, Cyril Chiegboka.

     

    Both Okoye and Chiegboka were kidnapped in his Toyota Sienna car, while on the road, by the heartless and barbaric murderers on 15th May.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) gathered that the police later recovered the car and deployed operatives to rescue the lawmaker.

     

    Soludo offered hope of rescuing his lawmaker while presenting Anambra’s revised budget to lawmakers on Friday.

    Anambra
    Late Hon Okechukwu Okoye

     

    Anambra Police spokesman Ikenga Tochukwu confirmed that the lawmaker has been killed.

     

    He said: “His head was found along Nnobi road today (Saturday). There is no suspect in custody yet.”

     

    Meanwhile, Anambra State governor,
    Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has condemned the gruesome murder Of Okoye.

     

    In a statement signed by Governor Soludo’s Chief Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, the governor pledges 10 million naira reward for any valuable information to track the killers.

     

    Gov Soludo condoles with his kinsmen of Isuofia, noting that it is probably the same criminal gang that attacked him and killed three policemen at Isuofia two years ago that are once again on the prowl. But they can never cow down Isuofia and Anambra state.

     

    Governor Soludo, still in shock over the barbaric acts against his two kinsmen, vowed that the perpetrators as well as all criminals operating in Anambra must be decisively brought to book.

     

    Governor Soludo assured that Anambra will soon be a hell for such criminals, Gov Soludo assured.

     

    He wishes to reassure Ndi Anambra of government’s resolve and renewed determination with the security agencies to go all out against the criminals and ensure they are brought to justice.

     

    “Anambra will win against the forces of darkness”, Gov Soludo assured, urging Ndi Anambra to brace up for the all out war against the criminals.

  • BREAKING: Senate prohibits payment of ransom to kidnappers

    BREAKING: Senate prohibits payment of ransom to kidnappers

    The Senate has passed the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2013 bill prohibiting the payment of ransom to kidnappers in Nigeria.

    The passage followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters at plenary on Wednesday.

    Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, said the bill sought to outlaw the payment of ransom to abductors, kidnappers and terrorists for release of persons who had either been wrongfully confined, imprisoned or kidnapped.

    According to the lawmaker the overall import of the bill is to discourage the rising spate of kidnapping and abduction for ransom cases in Nigeria, fast spreading across the country.

    He said that in the memoranda presented to the committee, plethora of issues relating to the subject matter of terrorism and terrorism financing in line with global best practices were raised.

    Bamidele assured that the amendment bill would set standards and regulatory system intended to prevent terrorist groups from laundering money through the banking system and other financial networks.

    He added that having policies in place to combat financing of terrorism would surely either reduce or eliminate privacy and anonymity in financial and other sundry transactions as it related to the subject in the society.

    The lawmaker seat said further that the need to comprehensively review the Terrorism Prevention Act arose from the unfavourable ratings of Financial Act Task Force (FATF) recommendations of Nigeria’s Mutual Evaluation Report.

    “And the consequent placement of Nigeria in FATF’s International Cooperation and Review Group Process with its impending sanctions on Nigeria’s economy.”

    In his remarks, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said that the bill would complement the Federal Government’s efforts in the fight against insecurity when signed into law by the President.

    “It is our belief here in the Senate, that this bill, by the time signed into an Act by Mr President, will enhance the efforts of this government in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping and other associated and related vices.

    “This is one piece of legislation that can turn around not only the security situation in Nigeria, but even the economic fortunes of our country.

    “We have done so much as a government in terms of infrastructural development across all parts of this country but because security situation is not the kind of situation that we all want, this tends to overshadow all the tremendous and massive developments in our country.

    “It is our belief that the Executive will waste no time in signing this bill into law,” he said.

    The Senate, thereafter, adjourned plenary until May 10, for Sallah break.

  • 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.