Kidnappers of 14 passengers want N15m to free my wife — Chude

•Kogi Police confirm abduction of 14 GIGM, ABC transport passengers 

•Tactical team rescues driver of GIGM bus

•We'll flush out killers, kidnappers from S-West —OPC

•Develop robots to tackle kidnapping, banditry, FOUYE VC tasks FG

•We need state, LG police urgently, says Olawepo-Hashim

KIDNAPPERS of 14 travellers in two buses from Umuahia, Abia State, to Abuja, who were abducted at Inele Eteke, in Olalamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, have called a husband of one of their victims, demanding a ransom of N15 million to free her.

It was gathered that the incident happened on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at Inele-Eteke, Ogugu new road in Kogi East senatorial district.

A social media influencer, Chude Nnamdi, who broke the news on his X handle, said the two buses belong to God Is Good Motors, GIGM, and ABC Transport.

Chude said his wife was in one of the hijacked buses but could not ascertain the number of persons in the two buses.

“The GIGM bus left Umuahia at 7.30am and was hijacked in Kogi State. The company said they have contacted security services and they are tracking them. 

''The kidnappers phoned this morning via my wife’s phone and were demanding N15 million,” Nnamdi said.

In another post, yesterday, Nnamdi said: “Passengers in two loaded buses were kidnapped and everywhere is just quiet like it is nothing. Is this the new normal? Two buses for that matter!”

He attached a message from one of the eyewitnesses who said: “Apparently, this happened around 3pm, along Olamaboro LGA, after one of the sharp road bends, some distance away from the police checkpoint.

“Both buses were five minutes in front of us. Only the GIGM driver escaped but with lots of actively bleeding cuts on his body.

“It was really scary. That spot is not really far from the boundary between Olamaboro and Enugu State.”

Kogi State police command confirmed the incident yesterday, as the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, said the area commander who led his team to the area saw the two buses but did not see the occupants and, so could not tell the number of people kidnapped.

“Yes, the incident happened but the DPO, local vigilantes, and hunters have been in the bush in an effort to rescue the victims,” Aya said in a statement, yesterday.

The PPRO added: “The CP has deployed additional tactical squad consisting of Quick Response Unit, Police Mobile Force, Counter-Terrorism Unit, as well as conventional police personnel to the area to continue with the bush combing and to ensure all victims are rescued unhurt.

“The report reaching me this morning (yesterday) is that a GIGM and ABC Transport buses heading to Abuja were hijacked by kidnappers in Kogi State.

Tactical team rescues driver of GIG“Meanwhile, the tactical team set up by the Kogi State police command, the DPO, local vigilantes and hunters have reportedly rescued the driver of the GIGM bus, Mr Godwin Oniovosa.“Confirming the rescue in a short statement, the command’s spokesperson, SP William Aya, said: "God is Good Motors was with 12 passengers while ABC was with 2 Passengers. Meanwhile, the driver of the God is Good Motors, Mr Godwin Oniovosa has been rescued. Bush combing continues."

ABC mgt reacts, ALBON keeps mum

Reacting to the issue upon inquiry, yesterday, the management of ABC Transport Plc explained the circumstances leading to the hijack of the buses.

The company said in a statement:  "What did occur was that at about 1:30pm on Saturday, February 3 2024, at a village called Ayele Adumu, in Olamaboro LGA of Kogi State, unknown persons blocked and attacked oncoming vehicles, among which was an ABC Sienna en-route Enugu to Abuja with two passengers. “"The two passengers and the bus driver were led into the bush alongside other passengers of other vehicles and have since been held hostage.  

 "ABC Transport is actively cooperating with relevant security agencies to resolve the matter as swiftly as possible.“"Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew, and we are taking all necessary measures to ensure a prompt and thorough resolution to the issue at hand.“"We understand the concerns raised by the public due to the reports in circulation, and we urge everyone to rely on official statements from ABC Transport for accurate and up-to-date information. Our team is working tirelessly to provide updates as the situation unfolds.

"We appreciate the cooperation of our passengers, stakeholders, and the public in allowing us the time and space to address this matter responsibly. We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and security for our valued passengers and staff."

On his part, President of the Association of Luxury Owners of Nigeria, ALBON, Mr Nonso Ubajaka, refused to comment on the matter. He dropped the phone when Vanguard's Correspondent introduced himself and asked for his reaction and refused to pick further calls.

We'll flush out killers, kidnappers from S-West —OPC 

Meanwhile, the Oodua People's Congress, OPC, yesterday, condemned the killings of two traditional rulers in Ekiti State, saying it would do everything possible to secure the South-West.

The Yoruba socio-cultural organization also urged the Federal Government to fish out the killers of the two monarchs and bring them to book.

OPC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Oguntimehin, in reaction to the gruesome murder of three monarchs in Ekiti and Kwara states said it is sad that the monarchs died in such a situation, adding that the OPC would not fold its arms and leave unknown gunmen to spill blood of innocent people.

The statement reads: "We have indicated our resolve to assist the government of the South-West region in addressing the surge of killings in Yoruba land.

"OPC will not allow the South-West to be used as an abattoir where innocent people will be slaughtered and gunmen would live like kings in our region. It is unacceptable. We will resist any attempt by gunmen to turn Yoruba land into a den of killers.

"It is unfortunate now that reports of killings and kidnappings are spreading across the South-West. We appeal to the federal and the state governments to co-opt the OPC in their attempt to solving the security challenges in the country.

"We are ready to salvage the region from marauders and killers that have infiltrated our region. Those behind the killings of the three traditional rulers would not go unpunished."

Develop robots to tackle kidnapping, banditry, FOUYE VC tasks FG

Also, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Prof. Abayomi Fasina, has urged the Federal and state governments to be more innovative by investing in the development of robotics technology to tackle kidnapping, banditry and other criminalities beleaguering the country.

Fasina urged the government at all levels to provide an enabling environment that will birth opportunities for both the young and old, to arrest brain drain, which seems to be the order of the day in the country.

The Vice Chancellor said this at a press conference to herald the institution’s 18th convocation ceremony, saying, "we should use the resources we have to sustain our human and capital development.”

We need state, LG police urgently, says Olawepo-Hashim

In like manner, Former Presidential Candidate and a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has urged President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to implement the APC's policy of decentralization of Policing to halt the rising wave on insecurity, blood-letting and kidnapping in the country.

Civil society groups, under the aegis of the Civil Society Joint Action Group, said last week that 2,423 persons had been killed, while 1,872 others had been abducted in the eight months of President Tinubu’s administration.

The group added insecurity had persisted over the last three administrations, with 24,816 Nigerians killed and 15,597 persons abducted in the last administration of President Buhari, between 2019 and 2023.

Decrying the development, Olawepo-Hashim, in a statement, said that the barbaric killings and kidnappings were condemnable.

Lamenting that rampaging gangs of terrorists and kidnappers moving like a guerrilla movement round most states in Nigeria, the business-cum-politician said: “I really do not understand the hesitation on the part of the President and the party leadership to lead the charge. "Many State governments and Local Government Councils are being controlled by APC. The Party also controls the National Assembly and majority of tate houses of assembly. So, it means the party can obtain the Legislative consensus within one week to bring to birth State Policing.”

For some time now, there has been a clamour for the establishment of State Police Force as opposed to what was laid down in Section 214 of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution. This is as a result of the deteriorating situation of the security system in Nigeria.

Olawepo-Hashim argued that while immediate creation of local police would not stop all the problems of insecurity in Nigeria, it would solve about 50 percent of it, noting  “we cannot let the bloodletting continue and carry on as if we are confused on what is to be done to stop it." 

Culled from Vanguard