Gunmen hijack 3 buses, abduct 60 passengers

*Bandits abduct monarch in Kaduna

Over 60 passengers travelling to Kano from Sokoto by Sokoto State Transport Authority buses were reportedly abducted by bandits along the Sokoto-Gusau highway, on Sunday.

While the Zamfara State Police said a bus was hijacked with 11 passengers on board, the Sokoto State Transport Authority said they were still compiling the manifest of passengers, to have the exact number of passengers in the vehicles.

A motorist, Mohammed Yusuf, who narrowly escaped the abduction, said the bandits blocked the road near Dogon Karfe around 3 pm and kidnapped all the passengers in the three buses.

Yusuf stated: “They (bandits) suddenly came out of their hiding and started shooting in the air, thereby forcing the vehicles to stop.

“They abducted all the passengers in the three vehicles belonging to the Sokoto State Transport Authority, as well as the drivers.”

Yusuf added that when the bandits disappeared into the bush with the victims, the other motorists, including himself, drove as fast as they could out of the scene in case the hoodlums return to abduct them.

“Immediately they left the place, we all drove our vehicles very fast, because we thought that they would come back and pick some of us,” he added.

He called on the authorities to provide adequate security on the road as, according to him, the bandits are abducting people on it daily.

Also, a member of the Road Transport Workers, Bello Mai Laya, said lots of their members in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states have lost their lives as a result of wanton activities of gunmen along the highway.  

He said he is afraid if care is not taken, they would be left with no option other than to go on strike and take off their vehicles from the road.  

According to him, even last week Sunday, gunmen took over the road around 4 pm shooting sporadically on any vehicle plying the road, which forced them to converge on Lambar Tureta on the Sokoto axis and Talata mafara from the Zamfara axis not until Army came to provide escort.  

We're compiling manifests —SSTA

Speaking, yesterday, General Manager of Sokoto State Transport Authority, Yahuza Chika, said the driver and conductor were said to have escaped from the vehicle before it finally came under attack.

He said the transport agency was still compiling the manifests of passengers to have the exact number of passengers in the vehicles.

Yahuza, however, said this was the first time vehicles of the SSTA had come under attack by gunmen or bandits along the busy highway since they started operation over 25 years ago.

Bandits kill two

Meanwhile, it was also gathered, yesterday, that the bandits blocked Wurno-Goronyo road around 5:00 p.m the same day, killing two people and abducting others.

The attack on Wurno-Goronyo road was also confirmed by the Chairman of Wurno Local Government Area, Abubakar Arzika.

He said two people, including a lady, were killed by the bandits.

He, however, could not confirm the abduction of other passengers along the road, saying police were still investigating the matter.

Police authorities in the state are yet to release a statement on the incident.

Bandits abduct monarch

It was gathered, yesterday, that the Paramount Ruler of Jaba chiefdom in Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Danladi Maude, was abducted by bandits on his farm.

Although the authorities in Kaduna State are yet to react, Mr Anthony Maude, who is a brother to the 80-year-old first-class monarch, told journalists on the phone that the royal father was abducted on his farm at Gitata in neighbouring Nasarawa State.

The brother did not give details of the abduction.

Herdsmen kill one, injure 3 

A yet-to-identified man was, yesterday, killed by suspected herdsmen, after he attempted to stop herds of cattle from eating up his farm at Obie Aku farm settlement in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State.

It was gathered that trouble started after the deceased received N12,000 as compensation for part of his farmland destroyed by the herders’ cattle earlier this month.

It was further learned that the herders returned with their animals, claiming to have paid for the farmland since the farmer had received a compensation of N12,000 for the previous damage on his farm.

However, lit was gathered that after the farmer chased the animals out of his farm, the herdsmen allegedly returned in the night and killed him.

Community sources told Vanguard that the herdsmen vacated the community with their families before unleashing the attack on the indigenes, adding that three other members of the community were also critically injured while some families were still searching the bushes for their missing loved ones at press time.

The sources gave names of those critically injured as Melly Nwodo from Umugwuocha Mgboko; Nnadi Arinze from Umudikwu Aloke Nua, both from Aku in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of the state but farming at Opanda, and Opia Apeh from Ogwurogwu in Uzouwani LGA.

But, the spokesperson of the Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, said only three persons were critically wounded following the attack by the unidentified hoodlums.

Ndukwe in a statement said: “Following information received at Nimbo Police Division in the early hours of today, 26/07/2021, alleging that yet-to-be-identified hoodlums attacked some persons in a location at Opanda village in Nimbo community of Uzo-Uwani LGA, Police operatives attached to the division raced to the scene and found three young men with various degrees of machete cuts. They were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where they are responding to treatment.

“Meanwhile, the area is calm, while the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu, has ordered the conduct of a thorough investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident to bring the perpetrators to book. He also called on residents of the area to remain calm and assist the Police with useful information.”

12-year-old groundnut seller kidnapped

A 12-year-old groundnut seller, Abibat Saani, has been kidnapped in Ofosu, Ore in Odigbo council area of Ondo State.

Her whereabouts remained unknown after she was abducted over 12 days ago while hawking groundnuts in the neighbourhood.

A family source said her abductor has not opened a line of communication with them, thereby raising anxiety.

Narrating her ordeal, the mother of the victim, Aisha Saani, said her daughter went to hawk groundnuts as usual, but her whereabouts have not been known since that day she left the house

Aisha said: “My daughter was hawking groundnut when a bike man stopped her close to our house. He told her there was a ceremony at the next street called Olobesere, where they needed groundnuts.

“The man told her to send somebody home to tell me to prepare more groundnuts and my daughter followed him.

“It was the person that my daughter sent home who informed us that one bike man took her away and since then we have been looking for her.”

The mother of the victim said she has reported the case to the state security outfit, codenamed Amotekun in Ofosu and the police station in Ore town

She said: “The security agencies have swung into action and they later found the groundnut tray with few groundnuts inside the bush along Ore.

“Unfortunately my daughter was nowhere to be found. It’s been 12 days now, we’ve been looking for my daughter."

Contacted, the state police image maker, Tee Leo lkoro, said the matter was yet to be reported at the police station.

5 suspected cultists nabbed for killing

Meanwhile, five suspected cultists have been arrested in connection with the killing of a vigilante member, Seun Akinsiku and one Seto Ogunye, last weekend, in Ondo town.

The suspects include Femi Adeoba, known as FM; Ope, Dele, Lasco and Ola.

State Commander of Amotekun, Adetunji Adeleye, who confirmed the arrest said the suspects were nabbed by the joint operation of men of the Nigeria Police, Civil Defence Corps and Amotekun Corps.

The killing, according to sources, was a result of a reprisal attack between two rival cult groups

Adeoba, alongside three others, were reported to have killed the vigilante, Akinsiku in his house at Oke Agunla in Ondo town around 6 pm on Friday.

The deceased was shot dead as he was about to go out of his house.

Motorcycle snatcher set ablaze

AN unidentified young man was reportedly set ablaze by a mob at Afiesere community, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State for allegedly snatching a newly purchased motorcycle from its owner.

It was gathered that the deceased had forcefully dispossessed the owner of the motorcycle around the Iwhrekpokpor roundabout area of the Ughelli metropolis and was making away with it when the owner raised an alarm.

A source said other commercial motorcyclists gave the deceased a hot chase and caught up with him around the secondary school in the Afiesere community.

The source said the incident attracted a mammoth crowd, who mobilised and beat him to stupor. They later put a tyre round his neck, poured petrol on him and set him ablaze.”

Contacted, Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident, saying “because of how it happened, we did not get details.

“The victim, whose motorcycle was allegedly stolen, has not shown up, but they said that the armed robber stabbed him. He has not come to report and nobody has come to say anything; the motorcycle is already in our custody.”

6yrs unlawful detention: Court orders Police to pay man N20m 

A Lagos High Court, sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS, yesterday, ordered the Commissioner of Police, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos Command and Police Inspector, Cee Y, to pay the sum of N20 million as damages and compensation for unlawful, arrest, torture and detention of an accused man, Abiodun Adeniyi.

The Commissioner of Police, Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos Command and Police Inspector Cee Y are the 2nd and 3rd respondents in the suit, while the Attorney-General of Lagos State is the 1st respondent.

Justice Idowu Alakija, in her judgment, said: “From the facts and circumstance of this case which arose from the unlawful arrest of the applicant at his place of work at Sani Street Badore in Ajah area of Lagos State, by the 2nd and 3rd respondents on March 13, 2014, and the subsequent remand and detention of the applicant in prison custody, now resulting in the present application, the applicant has not committed any offence whatsoever known to law to warrant the applicant’s arrest, detention and remand since 23 April 2014, till date. (Now a period over six years and five months).”  

Justice Alakija also directed the 2nd and 3rd respondents to publish a written apology in two national daily newspapers, for the unlawful infringement of the Applicant’s fundamental rights.  

The court granted all the prayers of the applicant, by declaring that the arrest and detention of the Applicant from March 13, 2014, to April 23, 2014, a period of 41 days by the 2nd and 3rd respondents is unconstitutional and a violation of the applicant’s fundamental right guaranteed under Section 34, and 35 (1) of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 4, 5 and 6 of the African Charter on Human and people’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act 2004.

The judge also ordered the release of the Applicant (Abiodun Adeniyi), who is currently remanded in Kirikiri Medium Prison, under the name of Abiodun Adeyeni from the Prison either unconditionally or conditionally.

Adeniyi, through his lawyer, Mr. A. O Afolabi, had in his originating summons, dated September 28, 2020, asked the court to declare that his arrest, torture and detention for six years and five months as illegal unlawful, unconstitutional and infringement of his fundamental human rights.  

He also urged the court to order the respondents to pay him the sum of N20million, as damages and compensation, for keeping him in detention for six years and five months without being charged or tried before a court of competent jurisdiction, for any offence and without being granted bail or released from custody, following his remand on April 23, 2014, till date.

Man arraigned over abduction of teenager

 A 24-year-old man, Rilwan Elusogbon, who allegedly kidnapped a teenager, was yesterday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court sitting at Tinubu.

The defendant, whose residential address was not given, is facing a two-count charge, bordering on conspiracy and abduction preferred against him by the Police.

The Prosecutor, Chinalu Uwadione, told the court that the defendant conspired with others at large to commit the alleged offence.

Uwadione said the incident occurred between July 16 and 23, 2021, at about 4 am, at Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He said: "The defendant unlawfully abducted a teenager, aged 18 years, by taking her against the wish of her guardian from July, 16 to 23, 2021.

“ When the defendant was tracked, it was discovered that he abducted the teenage girl, with intent to have sexual intercourse with her.”

However, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. B. O. Osunsanmi, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N300,000, with two sureties in like sum.

She said that the sureties must be gainfully employed, show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government and have their addresses verified.

Culled from Vanguard