Bandits on rampage

*Kidnap monarch, 3 others in Abuja

*Abduct Benue pastor,  son, 5 others from Lagos-bound commercial vehicle

*Raid Zaria Estate, kidnap Customs officer, others

*Police shoot 2 , arrest  4  in Rivers l2  suspected kidnappers arrested in Ogun

BANDITS went on rampage in several parts of the country, last Wednesday, abducting about 15 persons including a traditional ruler, a pastor and a customs officer.

In Abuja, four persons, including the traditional ruler of Bukpe community in Kwali Area Council of the FCT, Alhaji Hassan Shamidozhi, were kidnapped, Wednesday.

According to sources, the kidnappers invaded the community in large number and abducted Shamidozhi after shooting sporadically to scare away members of the community.

The Chief Imam of the Bukpe Community Central Mosque, Malam Jibrin, who is said to be a sibling to the abducted traditional ruler, was also attacked and wounded during the invasion.

The Head of Information and Protocol at the Kwali area council secretariat, Emmanuel Habila, confirmed the abduction, saying the police and operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) are on the trail of the kidnappers.

Efforts by Vanguard to get the response of the FCT Police Command to the incident are yet to yield results as the spokesperson of the Command, DSP Josephine Adeh simply said, the Police are on the matter.

Benue pastor, son, 5 others abducted from Lagos- bound commercial vehicle

Meanwhile, one Mrs Hanna Orhena, yesterday, in Makurdi, said her husband, Pastor Steven Orhena, and his son were abducted alongside five other Lagos-bound passengers on board a Benue Links commercial bus at Ayere village, a border community between Kogi and Ondo states.

She said the commercial vehicle, which departed Makurdi, Tuesday, with the seven passengers, ran into the bandits, who abducted them and are demanding  N5 million as  ransom for the Pastor, Steven Orhena and his son.

According to her, “on Tuesday my husband and son including five others boarded a Benue Links commercial bus going to Lagos from Makurdi but on their way, they were abducted between Kabba and Ayere village at about 3:pm on Tuesday.

“The abductors called me between 10 pm and 11 pm on Wednesday and demanded a ransom of a N5 million but I negotiated N500,000 they refused. At that point, they asked me to get someone who could speak Hausa after which my husband and son spoke to me.

“They also told me that they came from Zamfara and have a boss in Abuja.”

When contacted, the General Manager of Benue Links, Mrs Monica Ugela said she was not aware of the incident.

Raid Zaria Estate, kidnap Customs officer, others

Also, a Customs officer, his son and other residents of a housing estate in Zaria, Kaduna State were kidnapped by suspected bandits on Wednesday.

It was gathered that the bandits invaded the estate in large numbers, shooting sporadically and kidnapping the residents at about 10 pm.

A resident said: “There was a heavy attack in the Low-Cost area this night at about 10 pm.”

But the spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mohammed Jalige, said he was yet to get the details of the incident, yesterday, promising to revert when briefed by the operatives.

Police shoot 2 kidnap suspects, arrest 4 in Rivers

Meanwhile, operatives of the Rivers State Police Command nabbed four suspected kidnappers and wounded two others during a raid on a criminal hideout in Egwi community in Etche Local Government Area.

Acting Public Relations Officer of the Command, DSP Grace Iringe-Koko, said two kidnap victims were rescued unhurt by the police in separate operations.

She stated that the four suspects had allegedly abducted a cleric with a new generation church in Rivers State sometime in February, adding that the victim has been freed unhurt.

Iringe-Koko said: “Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has arrested four kidnap kingpins terrorizing Egwi-Etche and environs of Etche Local Government Area.

“Luck ran out of them when they abducted one Pastor Jeremiah Atelibo of Salvation Ministry Church Port Harcourt on February 28, 2022.

“Operatives using artificial intelligence were able to locate and storm their hideout and arrested four suspects namely, Barisi Yikes, 31; Chinedu Simeon, 28; Justice Obodo, 32;, and Jeffrey, 28'.

“Pastor Jeremiah was successfully rescued unhurt. A locally made pistol with three live cartridges was recovered from them, among other exhibits.”

2 suspected kidnappers arrested in Ogun

IN a related operation, operatives of the Ogun State Police command arrested two suspected kidnappers in the Imeko area of Imeko Afon Local Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who disclosed this in a statement in Abeokuta, the state capital, gave the names of the suspects as Umar Usman and Muhammed Ibrahim.

Oyeyemi said: “The suspects were arrested following a report lodged at Imeko divisional headquarters by one Suleiman Mohammed, who reported that he was called on the phone with a hidden number, and the caller threatened to get him kidnapped if he failed to pay N5 million within a week.

“The caller also urged him to go and sell all his cows to raise the money within the stipulated time.”

“Upon the report, the DPO Imeko division, CSP Ubine Eugine, mobilised his detectives to embark on a technical and intelligence-based investigation, which led them to the hideout of the suspects at Iwoye and Idofa forest where they were picked up one after the other.

“Upon their arrest, it was discovered that one of the suspects is married to the sister of the victim, and he was the one who gave information to others about how wealthy the victim is.

“On interrogation, the suspects, who confessed to knowing their victim very well informed the police that they decided to kidnap the man to cough out money from him because if they ask him for financial assistance, he will not do it”.

Meanwhile, the State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the anti-kidnapping unit of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for discreet investigation.

Culled from Vanguard