TheNewsGuru

Tag: Victims

  • Kaduna-Abuja train attack: Terrorists release seven abducted persons

    Kaduna-Abuja train attack: Terrorists release seven abducted persons

    Seven persons who were among those abducted by terrorists that attacked the Abuja-Kaduna bound AK9 train on March, 28 have been released.

    Recall that the terrorists had earlier threatened to kill the remaining 51 persons in their custody if their demands to Federal Government are not met.

    The terrorists have now made a U-turn by releasing seven of the 51 persons still in their custody.

    Meanwhile, Malam Tukur Mamu who has been serving as an intermediary between the Federal Government and the bandits has said that the seven persons have been released through his singular effort.

    However, the relatives and friends of the abducted passengers on Thursday, vowed to take over the streets and occupy key government facilities in Abuja and Kaduna in protest to demand the release of their loved ones in the kidnappers’ den for more than 100 days.

     

  • Police dislodge bandits, rescue 4 kidnap victims in Abuja

    Police dislodge bandits, rescue 4 kidnap victims in Abuja

    The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has dislodged some bandits, destroyed their hideouts, and rescued four kidnap victims in Kuje area of the territory.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, DSP Josephine Adeh, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

    She said operatives invaded Dadu hills via Chukwuku village in Kuje Area Council of FCT following receipt of intelligence about the movement of suspected bandits holding some persons hostage in the area.

    Adeh said the operation, carried out by the command in partnership with Destiny Hunters commenced at about 06:00hrs on May 31.

    She said the rescued victims were Mustahudeen Sani, Felix Vaa, Adamu Isa, and Abdulsalam Uzugiz.

    According to her, Sani, Vaa, and Isa were reportedly kidnapped between May 23 and May 25 at Kiyi village while Uzugiz was kidnapped at Angwan Gede Extension area, all of Kuje Area Council.

    “Unfortunately, the Criminal elements, upon sighting the gallant advancement of the team engaged them in a gun duel where a member of the Destiny Hunters paid the ultimate price.

    “The miscreants retreated with various degrees of gunshot injuries owing to the superior firepower of the team,” she said.

    Adeh said the rescued victims had been reunited with their families after medical examination.

    She said the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of the FCT, Mr Babaji Sunday, had extended his condolence to the family of the deceased.

    She pledged the unflinching commitment of the CP to ride the FCT of crime and criminality.

    Adeh enjoined FCT residents to remain vigilant, and strengthen their partnership with the Police.

    She urged residents to provide prompt and actionable intelligence through 08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883.

  • Police rescue 11 kidnap victims in Abuja

    Police rescue 11 kidnap victims in Abuja

    The Police command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has rescued 11 kidnap victims in Gwargwada community in Kuje Area Council of the territory.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the FCT, DSP Josephine Adeh, made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

    She said the victims, kidnapped on Feb. 17, were rescued on Saturday following prompt response by operatives of the command to the report of the abduction.

    According to her, upon receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT), Mr Babaji Sunday, ordered massive manhunt for the perpetrators and the rescue operation of the victims.

    She said the prompt tactical and intelligence driven special operation by police operatives led to rescue of all the abducted victims unhurt.

    Adeh said intelligence at the disposal of the Command uncovered the criminals den in a forest within Kuje area of the FCT.

    She said police operatives were already combing the forests to arrest the criminal elements and rescue other victims.

    Adeh said the rescued victims were already undergoing medical evaluations and would be reunited with their families as soon as confirmed medically stable.

    The command’s spokesperson pledged the commitment of the command to combat crimes and criminality in the FCT.

    She, however, called on residents to remain vigilant and cooperate with the Police, especially in the areas of prompt and useful information on any suspicious occurrence.

  • Police foil bandits’ attack in Niger State, rescue 20 abducted victims

    Police foil bandits’ attack in Niger State, rescue 20 abducted victims

    The Police Command in Zamfara has rescued five persons who were kidnapped in Niger.

    This is contained in a statement issued in Gusau on Sunday by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Muhammad Shehu.

    “The state police command, in continuation of its search and rescue operations across various forests in the state, has succeeded in the unconditional rescue of five kidnapped victims.

    “The victims were abducted in Kontagora and Bangi Local Government areas of Niger on Feb. 6 and Feb. 9, 2022 respectively”, he said.

    Shehu said that the victims were abducted from Niger and brought to Dansadau forest in Maru Local Government Area of the state.

    “All the victims were rescued by the police tactical operatives during an extensive search and rescue operations in the forest.

    “The joint police and state government medical team is working in synergy to ensure that the rescued victims receive appropriate medical treatment,” he said.

    The police spokesman added that police detectives from anti-kidnapping squad were debriefing the victims before reuniting them with their respective families.

    He quoted the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ayuba Elkanah, as expressing appreciation to the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, and Gov. Bello Matawalle for their unalloyed support and encouragement to all the security operatives, especially the police.

    While sympathizing with the victims, Elkanah assured the people of the state that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies and the state government, would continue to work assiduously for enthronement of lasting peace and security in the state.

    The police commissioner also called on members of the public to continue to support security operatives in the ongoing battle to rid the state of criminal elements.

  • Ikoyi building collapse: All victims died before rescue operations began – LASEMA

    Ikoyi building collapse: All victims died before rescue operations began – LASEMA

    Evidence proved that all victims of the 21-storey building collapse on Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, died before rescue operations began, an official said on Thursday.

    The Director-General of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osayintolu, made the disclosure during a coroner’s inquest into the Nov. 1, 2021 building collapse which killed 46 people.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Oke-Osayintolu was led in evidence by Mr A.S. Odugbemi, counsel to Lagos State Building Control Agency.

    He testified that rescue operations were carried out by both professionals and non-professionals who assisted with equipment.

    The official said that LASEMA was confronted with a “classical national emergency” and that as the Incident Commander mandated by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, he gave instructions to the rescue team.

    The director-general said that the rescue team moved into the scene following a primary assessment, adding that the team partitioned the ‘building’ into Quadrums 1 to 4 and employed heavy and life-saving equipment.

    He said that drones and delsa equipment (used for detection of life) enabled both primary and secondary emergency responders to determine that there was no life in the debris before work began.

    Oke-Osayintolu was asked by Mr Ola Adeosun counsel to Prowess Engineering Nig. Ltd., whether his agency’s actions in the course of the rescue operation led to death of some trapped people.

    “My lord, with my medical background, I have attended to a lot of emergencies within the state and federal, I would say, ‘No’.

    “Where we put the excavator is the first quadrum. We use the delsa to detect if there is someone alive, and I say this type of collapse building was unique.

    “When it piled on one another, there would not be air going in, it would compress the victims, and the way our response was operated, we divided the place into quadrums.

    “We used a delsa and drone, I can say that probability is close to zero,” the direct-general said.

    Adeosun further asked, “Are you telling this court that before moving your equipment, you must have confirmed that there was no person alive?”

    Responding, the LASEMA boss said, “Hundred per cent yes, my lord, there was nobody that died in the course of our intervention, to the best of my knowledge.”

    Earlier, Mr Muritala Olawale, a structural engineer and Managing Director of Prowess Engineering Nig. Ltd., tendered a document on soil test conducted at the building site.

    The document was admitted in evidence and marked Exhibit T by the Coroner, Mr Alexander Komolafe.

    The inquest was adjourned until Feb. 4.

  • JUST IN: 29 families submit DNAs for Ikoyi high-rise victims’ identification

    JUST IN: 29 families submit DNAs for Ikoyi high-rise victims’ identification

    As rescue team intensified the search for more bodies possibly trapped under the Ikoyi high-rise rubbles, at least 29 families have submitted their Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) samples to the Lagos State Government, basically to aid identification and collection of their loved one’s corpse for burial.

    To aid collections of bodies for the families, the State Government has inaugurated a committee to supervise the identification and release of the bodies to the victims’ families.

    The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, who disclosed these on Tuesday, said that the committee was set up to prevent any argument that may possibly arise during collection of the 43 already recovered bodies by the families.

    Omotoso, through a statement released to newsmen and titled Update on Gerrard Road Building Collapse, stated that the committee comprises senior officials of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice.

    Away from the collection exercise, he noted that that the rescue team has been mandated not to stop the rescue operations until the site is cleared and nobody is left in the rubble of the collapsed 21-storey edifice.

    The statement reads in part: “The Panel of Inquiry set up by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to find out why the building went down and suggest ways of stopping such incidents has continued its sittings. It is collecting documents that may help unravel the mystery of the collapsed building”.

  • Lagos building collapse: Chances of rescuing more victims alive ‘extremely tough’ now – Sanwo-Olu

    Lagos building collapse: Chances of rescuing more victims alive ‘extremely tough’ now – Sanwo-Olu

    The chances of rescuing any more victims alive at the Ikoyi Building collapse site is extremely tough, according to the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwoolu.

    The governor, who made a late night visit to the building collapse site on Friday, spoke exclusively with Channels Television.

    The governor said the emergency management officials have started the process of clearing the rubble to create more space in a tight compound.

    He added that the work at the collapse building site has got to the phase where using earth-moving equipment is becoming very difficult.

    The state government has put the death toll at 42 while the number of survivors stands at 9.

    The State Government on Friday had said bodies recovered from the collapsed Ikoyi building were ready for identification, calling on families of the deceased to go to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba for identification of their loved ones.

    The 21-storey building that caved in on Monday is one of three luxury towers being developed in Ikoyi, an upscale part of Lagos.

    The owner and developer, Femi Osibona, is reported to have also died in the incident.

  • Toyin Abraham laments over victims of collapsed Ikoyi building

    Toyin Abraham laments over victims of collapsed Ikoyi building

    Actress and filmmaker, Toyin Abraham has lamented over the victims of the Ikoyi building which collapsed on Monday.

    The ‘Alakada reloaded’ actress took to her Instagram page on Thursday, to send her condolences to the family and friends of the victim. Toyin also said that reading about the news of the death and injuries sustained during the incident saddens her.

    “Hearing the news of the Ikoyi collapsed building made me sad. Reading about the news of death and injuries was saddening. But nothing prepared me for the videos of the family members of the victims I saw. My heart bled. I broke down. How do you tell these people to have hope when the days and time are going by? Four days gone now, some of them don’t know whether to keep hoping or prepare for the worse?

    “I have been praying for strength for the family and life for the trapped victims. Please dear family members, I want you to know that you are not alone. God is with you and our best wishes and prayers are for you. We sincerely pray that at this critical time, you will find strength, hope and courage to be strong for the victims gone, those in hospital and those still trapped. Please be rest assured that you are not alone. We are praying with you. God who knows best will do the best,” she wrote.

    Reacting via the comment section of the post, Kehinde Bankole wrote: “our post reminds me we must talk about both good and bad on our pages. May God console all involved”.

  • #EndSARS: Lagos Panel concludes sitting, awards N410m to 70 victims

    #EndSARS: Lagos Panel concludes sitting, awards N410m to 70 victims

    The Lagos State Judicial Panel on restitution for victims of SARS-related abuses and other matters has held its valedictory sitting after 131 proceedings.

    Chairman of the panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi, who read out the decisions of the panel on Monday, announced the award of N148.2 million to 23 deserving petitioners.

    They include Michael Owoicho – N10 million, Fatai Ogunseye (late) – N10 million, Adeola Mukaila – N700,000, Stella Edegwa – N500,000, Akapo Adekunle – N10 million, Mustapha Ramot – N10 million, Kufre Jackson – N5 million, Ikechukwu Iloamuzor (late) – N10 million, Segun Adekoya (unlawful arrest by the police) – N1 million, Yusuf Omole – N10 million, and Segun Ishola (injuries sustained from gunshot) – N5 million.

    Others are Mr and Mrs Julius Adeogun – N10 million, Okoronkwo Sylvester (late) – N10 million, Titi Agnes – N10 million, Prince Akaba – N500,000, Chukwudera Uba – N4 million, Seun Bamgbose – N10 million, Abayomi Likinyo – N4 million, James Arebha – N4 million, Juliana Adeoti – N1 million, Adaeze Samson – N2.5 million, Yemi Abdulkareem – N10 million, and Gabriel Ayedungbe – 10 million.

    As a result, the panel has now awarded a total of N410 million to 70 victims.

    Justice Okuwobi also revealed that the panel has concluded its investigations into the shooting at the Lekki tollgate – one of the venues of the #EndSARS protests in Lagos.

    She, however, stated that the panel was working on its report which would be submitted to the state government which was expected to declare the report publicly.

    The panel assured petitioners that its recommendations would include compensation to victims of the Lekki tollgate incident if any was identified.

    According to the chairman, recommendations will also be made for policemen who were victims of the #EndSARS protests held in 2020.

    She added that petitions that have been partly heard, and those that were not concluded or heard would be sent to the supervising Lagos State Ministry of Justice, which may set up a human rights body to handle them.

    The judicial panel set up by the state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on October 19, 2020, was mandated to investigate cases of brutality and human rights abuses by the Police and its disbanded tactical unit.

    On October 19, 2020, the Lagos State government inaugurated a nine-man Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate cases of brutality and human rights violations perpetrated by the police and operatives of the dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

    The panel was also saddled with the investigation of the alleged shooting of protesters by the Nigerian Army on October 20, 2020, at the Lekki tollgate plaza.

    It received 235 petitions between October and December 2020, while only 14 petitions were submitted on the alleged Lekki shooting incident.

  • Why bandits now release kidnap victims without collecting ransom – Zamfara Government official

    Why bandits now release kidnap victims without collecting ransom – Zamfara Government official

    The Deputy Chairman of Zamfara State Committee on finding a lasting solution to Armed Banditry, Dr. Abdullahi Shinkafi, says bandits no longer have food to feed their kidnap victims and are releasing them freely without collecting ransom.

    Shinkafi said this during an interview on Saturday in Gusau while hailing the efforts of the state government aimed at tackling the activities of bandits in the north-western state.

    “There were some people who were kidnapped, 11 of them. They released one and told them to bring N200,000 each. Before they started negotiating, (they demanded) N20 million per person,” he said.

    “When the relatives of the victims refused to send the money, they left with no option than to release them. They said they don’t have food to feed them that some have started dying in captivity.

    “So it is yielding a lot of results and biting them very hard. The sustainability of these security measures will help in downgrading the activities of bandits in Zamfara State.”

    Shinkafi added that due to the telecommunications shutdown, bandits wrote letters to the people of Shinkafi and the Acting Emir of Zurmi, using receipts of their purchased motorcycles to demand ransom for kidnapped victims.

    He also confirmed that the task force in the state has traced the address of the motorcycle company in Kano State and arrests have been made.