Barely eight days after a change of baton in the Lugard House Lokoja with Ahmed Usman Ododo as the new governor of Kogi state, a gang of kidnappers swooped on passengers in two buses in a commando style, in Inyele Eteke, Olalamaboro local government area of the state.
Ododo took over from his predecessor, Alhaji Yahya Bello, February 27, 2024.
The latest abduction is the first major one the state was experiencing under the new leadership.
The incident is coming after the FCT residents are beginning to enjoy some respite following weeks of siege from the criminal elements, especially in the suburbs of the nation’s capital territory.
Latest attack in Kogi
The two Abuja-bound buses, according to sources, belonged to GIG and ABC, and took off Saturday at about 7.30am from Umuahia, Abia state, before running into the criminal elements.
It was gathered that the criminals swooped on the passengers upon sighting them.
Writing on his X handle @Chude_, Chude Nnamdi wrote February 4: “Passengers in 2 loaded buses were kidnapped and everywhere is just quiet like its nothing: is this the new normal?”
“GIG company said they have contacted security services and they are tracking them. The kidnappers phoned this morning via my wife’s phone and they are demanding N15m. Kindly assist create awareness on social media,” Nnamdi further wrote.
Police confirm
The number of those abducted while the moment of horror lasted, could not be ascertained as at the time of this report, said the Kogi State Police Command while confirming the incident in a statement issued Monday in Lokoja.
Spokesman of the command, 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, therefore, could not ascertain the number of people on the two buses.
He said: “Yes, the incident happened, but the DPO, local vigilantes, and hunters have been in the bush in an effort to rescue the victims.”
Aya also said: “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.”
…Six suspected kidnappers nabbed
In a related development, police operativesattached to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command Anti-Kidnapping Unit, have arrested six suspected kidnappers in a hotel in Bassa Village in the FCT.
The suspects are “one Buhari Muhammad ‘m’ 20 yrs, a wanted kidnap kingpin; Muhammad Sabiu ‘m’ 20 yrs, Isah Abdullahi ‘m’, Hamzat Musa ‘m’ 21 yrs, Fatima Abdullahi ‘f’ 22 yrs and Zuliat Yusuf ‘f’ 23 yrs.”
The police described the arrest as a continuation of its fight against criminality in FCT.
The notorious kidnap syndicate, the police said, were responsible for the abduction of one Joshua Eze, the husband to Blessing Eze who suffered a bullet injury in the process of her husband’s abduction January 27, and was subsequently rescued unhurt by police operatives of the Command on January 28.
A statement issued Monday in Abuja by the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command , SP Josephine Adeh, said, “one AK47 rifle, 10 mobile phones, cash sum of three hundred and forty-five thousand naira and some other valuables were recovered from the suspects who have since confessed to the crime and other kidnapping incidents in the Territory.
“While investigation is still ongoing, the Commissioner of Police FCT, CP Benneth Igweh assured members of the public of his commitment to rid FCT of criminality in all its manifestation.”
