TheNewsGuru

Tag: Ransom

  • Kidnappers kill boy after collecting N5m ransom from his parents

    Kidnappers kill boy after collecting N5m ransom from his parents

    A boy kidnapped from his parents’ home in a Kaduna suburb was found dead, seven days after he was taken and N5 million ransom paid for his release.

    Muhammad Kabir, the victim, who was taken from Badarawa suburb of Kaduna North local government area, is believed to have been killed by his kidnappers.

    Reports indicate a neighbour connived with another resident, an ex-military personnel, to kidnap the boy.

    peanwhile, Police have arrested three people, including the said neighbour, in connection with the kidnap and murder of Kabir.

    It was gathered that immediately the boy was declared missing, a search for him was done for days before a call came in from the kidnappers demanding N50m, and then later reduced the amount to N35m before finally agreeing to N5m.

    Abdulrahman Kabir Magayaki, a brother to the victim, told newsmen that the late Kabir was taken away from their house to Zaria from there to Kano State where his body was retrieved after the ransom was paid.

    “One of the suspects that took the boy away was our neighbour while the ex-military personnel was also a resident in the community. They took him to Zaria from there to Kano where his body was retrieved inside drainage after they collected 5 million naira ransom,” he said.

    He said the victim’s body was brought back to Kaduna and buried according to Islamic rites on Saturday.

    Another resident said the victim must have been killed after he recognised the faces of his abductors since they are all living in the area.

    Kaduna State Police Command Spokesman ASP Mohammed Jalige who confirmed the incident said the three suspects confessed to the crime but said he cannot comment on the military background of one of the suspects until investigation is concluded.

  • Gunmen kidnap Edo varsity professor on his way to farm, demand N18m ransom

    Gunmen kidnap Edo varsity professor on his way to farm, demand N18m ransom

    Prof. Osadolor Odia, of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Ekpoma, has been reportedly abducted by unknown gunmen at his farm at Egoro, Ekpoma, in Esan West Local Government Area of Edo.

    Odia, a Professor of Engineering and former Head of the Department of Mechanical, Engineering at the AAU, was said to be on his way to the farm when the incident occurred.

    A family source, who pleaded anonymity, said the professor’s abductors had already made contact with the family asking for a ransom of N18 million.
    ‎
    “I can confirm that Odia was kidnapped today on his way to the farm and a ransom of N18 million was demanded by the kidnappers.”
    ‎
    When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Edward Aihevba, said he received the news of the abduction as general information.

    Aihevba stated that he had no details of how the incident happened.

    Similarly, Spokesman of the Police Command in Edo, Kontongs Bello, said he was not aware of the incident and promised to ‎contact the Divisional Police Office in charge of Ekpoma.

  • Gunmen threaten to kill abducted Kaduna varsity students, demand N800m ransom

    Gunmen threaten to kill abducted Kaduna varsity students, demand N800m ransom

    Daredevil gunmen who invaded and abducted students of Kaduna-based private owned Greenfield University on Wednesday have contacted their parents to demand a collective ransom of N800 million.

    They threatened to kill the students if the ransom is not paid.

    According to a report by The Nation, negotiation of the ransom was already ongoing.

    A cousin to one of the kidnapped students, Georgina Stephen, confirmed the development.

    Stephen claimed 23 students, including 14 females and a staff of the university, were abducted.

    According to her, the kidnappers have been beating the abducted students, insisting if the ransom is not paid they will kill all of them.

    Another parent, who craved anonymity, confirmed the development, saying the kidnappers had called to demand for collective ransom of N800 million.

    He could not however confirm the number of the abducted students.

    Meanwhile neither the police nor the Kaduna State Government have confirmed the kidnappers’ demands.

  • Gunmen who invaded, kidnapped Ekiti monarch from his palace demand N20m ransom

    Gunmen who invaded, kidnapped Ekiti monarch from his palace demand N20m ransom

    Kidnappers who abducted Oba David Oyewumi, the Obadu of Ilemeso Ekiti, have demanded N20 million ransom to secure his release.

    TheNewsGuru, TNG reports that Oyewumi was abducted by the gunmen who invaded the palace in Ilemeso Ekiti in Oye LGA of Ekiti state at 9.00 p.m. on April 15.

    A family source, who did not want his name published, told newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Monday that the abductors contacted the family late on Saturday and demanded the ransom.

    “We have been contacted by those who took Kabiyesi. They called us around 7.03 p.m. on Saturday and demanded that we pay N20 million for the king to be released.

    “We are really worried by this demand, but the family is not taking anything to chance, as we are taking further steps to ensure that Kabiyesi is released alive as soon as possible.”

    Reacting, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Sunday Abutu, said the police was not aware of the ransom demanded.

    Abutu, however, said that the police and other security agencies were making frantic efforts to rescue the Oba from captivity safe.

    “We are taking all security measures to ensure that we rescue the Oba. We are not resting at all.

    “We are working with other sister agencies in this regard and also working on intelligence we have at our disposal.

    “The police want to work more to prevent this kind of crime and we are relying on information from the members of the public.

    “We work more on information we find to be veracious,” the PPRO said.

    The police spokesman appealed to members of the public to help with valuable information on the matter.

    “We assure them that the police will protect the identities of such informants,” Abutu said.

    TNG reports that the attack on the Oba was the second of such in the state within three weeks.

    Another Oba had earlier been attacked while on transit at 7.00 p.m. and his official car was riddled with bullets by gunmen believed to be kidnappers.

    He was, however, lucky to escape being kidnapped, but sustained gunshot wounds on the stomach and other parts of the body.

  • Kidnappers abduct, kill Lagos pastor in Ondo forest after receiving N2m ransom

    Kidnappers abduct, kill Lagos pastor in Ondo forest after receiving N2m ransom

    A Lagos-based pastor, Frederick Aramuwa who was kidnapped while travelling along the Ipele/Idoani Road in Ondo State has been found dead.

    Aramuwa was said to be travelling from Lagos to his hometown, Ifira-Akoko in Ondo State and was discovered to be missing since March 31.

    Subsequently, his kinsmen embarked on a rigorous search for him and equally reported the case to the police. However, it was discovered that the deceased was kidnapped and his captors demanded ₦10 million ransom, which was reduced to ₦2 million after negotiations.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG gathered that after the ₦2 million ransom was paid, it was the lifeless body of the pastor that was discovered in the forest.

    The remains of the deceased have since been deposited in the morgue at the General Hospital, Ipe-Akoko.

    When contacted, the spokesperson of Ondo State Police Command, DSP Tee-Leo Ikoro confirmed the death of the pastor on Sunday.

    Ikoro disclosed that the deceased’s remains were discovered tied to a tree in the forest.

    He added that some other persons kidnapped along with the pastor have been rescued by the police.

    The police spokesperson noted that the police is investigating the incident and hope to apprehend the perpetrators in no distant time.

  • JUST IN: Gunmen release video of kidnapped Kaduna students, announce N500 million ransom

    JUST IN: Gunmen release video of kidnapped Kaduna students, announce N500 million ransom

    Gunmen that kidnapped the students of Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Igabi LGA in Kaduna State are demanding for 500 million naira ransom to free the students currently in their custody.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the students who are made up of 23 females and 16 males where kidnapped on Friday after the gunmen broke into their school shooting sporadically with sophisticated weapons.

    https://twitter.com/tngbreaking/status/1370780469357379584

    In a video released by the bandits on Saturday, the Gunmen showed the students mostly looking tortured and terrified.

    One of the students in the video named Blessing Emmanuel seek the federal government’s assistance in securing their release.

    In his words “…. My name is Blessing Emmanuel, we are the students of Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation kidnapped on Friday. We are pleading with government to come to our rescue, our abductors have been torturing us , they have injured us here , we have been suffering…..”

    Attempts to reach the Kaduna state Commissioner of Internal Security and home affairs, Samuel Aruwan, proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.

    More details soon….

  • Nigerians in Diaspora write Buhari, demand justice for member abducted, killed despite ransom payment

    Nigerians in Diaspora write Buhari, demand justice for member abducted, killed despite ransom payment

    The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDOA) has written to President Muhammadu Buhari seeking justice for one of its members recently murdered by kidnappers back home.

    The victim, Prince Dennis Abuda, was abducted on the Auchi-Benin road in Edo on Jan. 30, while returning to the U.S. after visiting his home town of Fugar.

    Four days later, the police found his decomposing body with bullet wounds on the Lagos-bound bypass in Benin after ransom was paid on him.

    The kidnappers reportedly shot him dead after he slumped while being forced into the forest.

    Nothing has been heard of the case since Feb. 5, when the police said they arrested some suspects assisting them in their investigation.

    In the letter dated Feb. 11, NIDOA appealed to the president to ensure that the perpetrators of the dastardly act were brought to justice to deter others.

    The organisation said that Abuda was a prominent and well-established member of the Nigerian community in Atlanta who dedicated his life to serving others.

    “He frequently traveled to Nigeria to attend to numerous charitable organisations he established to serve and better the lots of his people.

    “Through his numerous charitable acts, many people were empowered to be self-sustaining.

    “The Nigerian community in Atlanta, Georgia, and the people of his home town, have lost someone very dear to them.

    “Your Excellency, we appeal to you to see to it that these senseless murderers, who see no value in human lives, are brought to justices,” it said.

    The letter was signed by Mr Obed Monago, Chairman, NIDOA Board of Trustees; Dr Victor Ubani, President, NIDOA-Atlanta; and Mr Saheed Adeleye Secretary-General, NIDOA-Atlanta.

  • Huge ransom payment for Kankara, Dapchi students’ release, FG speaks

    Huge ransom payment for Kankara, Dapchi students’ release, FG speaks

    The Federal Government on Saturday debunked rumours of payment of ransom for the release of the abducted Kankara schoolboys in Katsina State and the Dapchi schoolgirls in Yobe State.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed revealed this in an interview on a monitored Channels Television interview on Saturday.

    “All these stories about ransom, are conspiracy theories,” the minister said.

    The minister’s comments come days after another abduction of students in Kangara, Niger State, was executed.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that some Nigerians on social media alleged that the federal government has already paid Eight Hundred Million (N800,000,000:00) ransom to the bandits to free the abducted Kangara victims.

    See some of the allegations on Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/Enitan_sam/status/1363032577829974019?s=20

    https://twitter.com/ij_kush/status/1363022495582998529?s=20

    TNG reports that the Kangara incident is the latest in the series of coordinated abductions carried out by bandits across the country, particular in the north.

    Reacting to the incident, the minister who had on Wednesday visited the state with a Federal Government delegation to assess the situation, said the government is putting various strategies in place to curb the menace.

    “Government has put in place various strategies to contain banditry, insurgency and kidnapping.

    “Some of these measures are kinetic, some are non-kinetic,” Mr Lai Mohammed said.

    He, however, ruled out the option of a ransom being paid for their release.

    When asked: Will a ransom be part of the government’s strategy? the minister said: “No”.

    He continued by saying: “I can assure you that the government is on top of the matter – but it is not a subject matter for television discussion.

    “We didn’t get there overnight, that is why we can’t get out in one day”.

    According to the minister, bandits and terrorists work with the psychology of people and they deliberately attack mostly women and children because they believe that is what is going to attract global outcry.

    “That is exactly what bandits do all over the world,” he said, adding that “solidarity in any form will not be tolerated by this government”.

    Armed men attacked the Government Science College Kagara in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State in the early hours of Wednesday, shooting sporadically, before abducting some students, staff members, and their families.

    One student was also killed in the incident.

    The operations started from the staff quarters and ended in the students’ hostels and in the process, other students were also wounded by gunshots.

    The gunmen who were said to have worn military uniforms gathered some staff and students at a place for hours before moving them out of the school premises to an unknown destination.

  • Niger school abduction: Why Nigeria must stop negotiating with criminals, ransom payments – Atiku

    Niger school abduction: Why Nigeria must stop negotiating with criminals, ransom payments – Atiku

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday said Nigeria must stop rewarding criminality, warning that doing so will result in more crimes being perpetrated.

    In a statement he personally signed, Abubakar lamented the deteriorating state of insecurity in the country, describing the menace as alarming.

    While noting that a situation whereby children and minors were being kidnapped, the ex-vice president asked the Federal Government to tackle cases of abductions by ending what he calls the reign of impunity.

    “Now is not the time for fingers to point in blame. Our nation needs solutions. And we have now seen that paying ransoms, and allowing criminals to profit from their criminality is not a solution,” he said.

    “When you reward crimes, the end result is more crime. The only long-term solution to the insecurity challenge Nigeria is facing is to end the reign of impunity.

    “The Federal Government must enforce the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against abductions and kidnappings, by apprehending the criminals, trying them, and making an example of those convicted, to serve as a deterrent to others.”

    He also called for the protection of schoolchildren in the affected states, asking the Nigerian government to deploy all-around security personnel.

    The ex-vice president said if it is “not feasible to have armed military guards in all schools, then each state in the should as a matter of urgency replicate the Civilian Joint Task Force idea, that has worked so well in Borno and deploy them to each school, along with men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.”

    His remarks come hours after gunmen stormed Government Science College Kagara in Rafi Local Government Area of the state, killing one student ad abducting several others.

  • 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.