Gunmen abduct passengers along Akure/ lkere highway
kidnap Catholic priest
—We can’t ascertain their number now- Ondo Police
—- Detectives deployed to rescue victims
…Police Arrest Abuja Kidnappers, Parade 16 Suspects
Gunmen have reportedly abducted an unspecified number of passengers along Akure/ lkere highway.
Police image maker, Funmi Odunlami, who confirmed the ugly incident, said that the number of the victims remained unknown.
Odunlami, told Salient Times in Akure that the men of the anti-kidnapping section of the command had started combing the forest in lkere, Ekiti state and Akure, in Ondo state
According to her “no official report from the family or families of the owner of the two vehicles found at the scene of the incident and no report of missing people in the state.
The police spokesperson, however, assured that the state Police command would soon unravel what took place and rescue the victims if it was a case of abduction.
Odunlami however, said it was not clear whether the kidnappers had contacted the family members for ransom.
A video being circulated on social media, showed two abandoned vehicles,Toyota Corolla and a white Highlander, riddled with bullets, on the highway while their occupants were said to have been kidnapped and taken into the forest around Iju.
A source in the area, confirmed that the incident happened on Thursday night and that the two vehicles were intercepted by gunmen
According to him ” the vehicles riddled with bullets, it was obvious that the drivers were forced to stop by the gunmen.
“The kidnappers might have marched them into the bush, the incident happened in the evening and it came to our knowledge on Friday morning when we saw the vehicles riddled with bullets”
“We’ve reported the incident to the police in the area and they had visited the scene of the incident but we’ve not heard anything from them since.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that operatives of the Ondo state security outfit codenamed, Amotekun, have been deployed to the forest to smoke out the kidnappers and rescue the victims.
Police Arrest Abuja Kidnappers, Parade 16 Suspects
Meanwhile, following the recent launch of the Special Intervention Squad (SIS) by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, the police have apprehended 16 notorious criminals and recovered arms and ammunition in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Amongst the suspects paraded on Saturday were three Bwari-based kidnappers- Idris Ishaku, m, 27 years; Bala Umar, m, 27 years; and Dahiru Salisu, m, 27 years, who have been responsible for series of armed robbery cases and kidnappings in the Bwari Local Government Area and other parts of Abuja.
In a statement, Force Spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the combined team of operatives arrested 13 suspects for various other crimes.
“Amongst the achievements recorded is the foiling of another kidnap plot through technical intelligence resulting in the arrest of the above-named Bwari-based kidnappers, and weapons recovered from them,” the statement read.
“In a proactive move, following a report on the abduction of a victim from his house along with his Hilux Van with Reg. No. RBC 90 DL Gray colour by four armed men who disguised in a white Mercedez Benz 230 car, Police Operatives in an intelligence propelled investigation discovered that the victim was being taken to Kano State, but was dispossessed of his ATM cards at Kaduna while the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000.00) was transferred from his account.
“The suspects however ran out of luck as they were intercepted by Police operatives at a filling station in Kaduna where three of them escaped, while one by the name Chinaza Philip Okoye Michael was arrested, the victim rescued unhurt, and the said Hilux Van recovered. It was discovered that Chinaza Philip Okoye Michael and his accomplices had earlier been arrested sometime in November 2023 and charged for similar offences, at the High Court, Kwali, Abuja, but went back to committing even worse crimes while on court bail.
“Also, operatives of the DFI-IRT office intercepted one Everest Magaji, a gunrunner, during negotiation with some notorious bandits who are currently at large, for the purchase and supply of illicit firearms and ammunition. Eleven (11) Pistols, and Two (2) Pump Action Guns were recovered from the suspect.”
