Gunmen kidnap monarch, 7 others
While the paramount ruler of Gindri in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau, Mr Charles Mato, the Sum Pyem, was abducted yesterday, heavily armed bandits kidnapped five peasants in Zaria, Katsina State, even as gunmen, suspected to be bandits, abducted two men on Christmas Day in Ijan-Ekiti, Gbonyino Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
In Plateau, the Media Officer of Operation Safe Haven, OPSH, the military task force maintaining peace in the state, Major Ishaku Takwa, confirmed the abduction. He told newsmen, yesterday, in Jos that Mato was kidnapped from his residence at Gindiri.
He said troops of the task force had been mobilized to the area to conduct search and rescue.
“Troops of OPSH at Gyambus in Mangu have been mobilized to the area. They are on the trail of the kidnappers,” Takwa said.
Bandits kidnap 5 in Zaria
In the Zaria abduction, an eyewitness in the area told journalists that “they came to our area with arms and ammunition and kidnapped five persons. The five persons lived close to my house at Kuregu Wusasa, opposite new ECWA church.”
Meanwhile, two persons abducted in Ekiti State on Christmas day were on a motorbike around 5:30 pm.
One of the victims, simply identified as Ajankoro, a cocoa merchant and the motorcyclist conveying him were said to be on their way from Ilupeju-Ijan to Ijan-Ekiti when they were accosted by the bandits, who kidnapped them and whisked them away to an unknown destination.
Abductors of Ekiti monarch demand N20m ransom
In a related development, some suspected gunmen who kidnapped a traditional ruler in Ijan-Ekiti, Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Thursday, have demanded N20 million to free their victim.
A family source, who preferred anonymity, said the kidnappers called Friday night and demanded the amount before they could release the victim.
The source said: “They have called to ask for this huge amount of money before they can set him free, the amount is so exorbitant, and we don’t know how to source the fund.
“We only pleaded for his safe release from their den. It’s still a sad Christmas for us, as the bread winner of our family has been taken to unknown destination and his whereabouts cannot be ascertained.”
Contacted on the development, the Commandant of Amotekun Corps in Ekiti State, Brigadier.-General Joe Komolafe (rted), said he was not aware of the ransom being demanded by the abductors.
He said his men are working round the clock to ensure that the victim is released unhurt.
“I’m not aware of ransom demanded by the bandits, all I know is that our men have been deployed to the areas where we suspected the gunmen might have used as their hideout,” he said.
Komolafe advised residents of the community to volunteer timely and useful information that can lead to the arrest of the bandits.
Cleric arrested with fresh human head slumps, dies in Ondo police custody
The mysterious death of the Islamic cleric, Tunde Olayiwola, arrested last week with fresh human head by detectives of the Ondo State Police command in police custody is generating controversy.
It was gathered that the suspect reportedly slumped and died at Special Anti-cultist Section of the state police command.
It will be recalled that the suspect was paraded alongside eight other suspected criminals alleged to have committed various offences ranging from murder, kidnapping to cultism.
The suspect was apprehended with a fresh human head at Ajagbale Area of Oka, Ondo town.
Sources said the suspect allegedly fell sick the second day he was detained and was taken to the police clinic where he eventually died.
The suspect during an interview with newsmen at the state police command when paraded, said he bought the fresh human head for N60,000 for money rituals.
Olayiwola, who said he hailed from Osogbo, Osun State said: “The fresh skull was delivered to me at home by a man I met at a social function on Thursday morning. I was about to commence the ritual when I was arrested by the police detectives.
“I purposely ordered for the human head to make my life better and it was delivered to me. This is my first time but I wanted to do it to become rich and live a better life. The head was delivered to me today.”
The suspect declined to name his other accomplices, saying he wanted to be rich just as his counterparts.
Speaking, the state Police Commissioner, Oyeyemi Oyediran, said: “The suspect was arrested by men of the state police command after intelligence report that the suspect was about to receive a consignment.”
The state Police command image maker, Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the death of the suspect in police custody, adding that he became indisposed while in detention.
Odunlami did not give details when pressed further.
Hunters storm bandits' den, rescue 9 kidnapped victims in Kaduna
Hunters in Kaduna State have stormed a kidnappers den in Udawa-Birnin Gwari forests and rescued nine persons earlier kidnapped in a convoy.
According to one of the villagers, Malam Umaru, “the hunters laid an ambush for the bandits days after they attacked a convoy of travellers along the highway. The nine victims rescued are from Udawa village.
"It was a successful operation carried out by our hunters because they succeeded in rescuing nine of our people from the bandits and also caught one bandit. They are interrogating him before handing him over to security agencies.
“The hunters engaged the bandits in gun battle, which forced the bandits to abandon the victims at their camp. The whole community is happy with the hunters’ success.
"If the hunters are supported with vehicles, they would tackle banditry in the community and surrounding villages. We commend security agencies for carrying out an operation in the forest, earlier.”
Culled from Vanguard
Comments
Post a Comment