Abduction

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Scores of people have been abducted in Edo train station and many were left with bullet wounds on Saturday evening.

Gunmen widely reported to be herdsmen invaded the Egbueben train station in Egbueben Local Government Area of Edo State and kidnapped passengers waiting to board the train to Warri in Delta State.

Many of the travellers reportedly sustained bullet wounds and the police disclosed that an uncertain number of passengers have been kidnapped.

The Edo Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident in a statement.

The statement reads, “This is to inform the gentlemen of the press that today, 7th of January, 2023 at about 1600hrs, unspecified number of herdsmen armed with AK 47 riffles attacked the train station at Igueben, Edo State and kidnapped unspecified number of passengers who were waiting to board the train to Warri.

“The kidnappers who shot sporadically into the air before kidnapping some passengers left some persons with bullet wounds. The Area Commander Irrua, DPO Igueben Division, and men have visited the scene of crime with members of the Edo State Security Network, local vigilantes, and hunters with a view to protecting the lives and property of the remaining passengers.

“Bush combing operations have commenced in order to rescue the victims and arrest the fleeing kidnappers. Further developments will be communicated”, Nwabuzor disclosed.

Train attacks have become prevalent in Nigeria. On March 28, 2022, Abuja-Kaduna train attack led to the death of about 14 passengers and 63 people were declared to be kidnapped after the incident.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The bandits who abducted a pregnant woman in Jalingo, Taraba State, have refused to release her despite being in labour.

The Daily Reality gathered that the bandits kept demanding for ransom to release the woman.

The woman who fell into labour in captivity was said to have visited her parents for maternity leave from Kano.

However, the bandits called the father of the abducted pregnant woman and demanded immediate ransom.

It was gathered that the shooters, who targeted three houses in the area, operated for about forty minutes without any interruption.

DSP Usman Abdullahi, the police spokesperson of Taraba Command, confirmed the abduction of the pregnant woman and six others.

Banditry and kidnapping are the significant security challenges bedevilling the country over the years. 

The menacing security challenge lingers despite the threats and promises by the federal government to mitigate the issue.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A 14-year-old housemaid identified as Favour Iwuozor has allegedly abducted her mistress’s two-year-old son, planning to take him to Amraku Umorsu in Isiala/Mberna Local Government Area, Imo State.

Daily Post reported that the maid took the boy from a Sunday school class in church, pretending the mother sent her, but she made away with him and started begging for alms to raise money for transportation.

The maid had identified the 2-year old abducted boy as her younger brother left behind by their parents, who she lied died in an accident in December.

Reports have disclosed that while begging for alms at Yaba, Lagos, one Victoria Nwafor, who observed that the boy was very ill, took both of them to her house in the Sagamu area of Ogun State on December 22, 2021.

Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, has confirmed the incident on Tuesday, 4th January 2022.

He said: “immediately the boy fully recovered, the suspect wanted to single-handedly take him to Imo State,” saying this aroused the woman’s suspicion; hence she reported at Sagamu police division on Monday.

“Upon the report, the DPO of Sagamu division, CSP Okiki Agunbiade, detailed his detectives to go and bring the girl and the little boy.

“On interrogation, the girl confessed that she was a maid to the mother of the little boy and that she left with the boy since the 19th of December, 2021, with the intention of taking the boy to Amraku Umorsu in Isiala/Mberna Local Government Area of Imo State,” Oyeyemi explained.

Oyeyemi added that the maid had confessed that “she took the baby from the church during Sunday school period, and since the Sunday school teacher knows her with the baby’s mother, she had no problem releasing the boy to her.”

By Muhammad Sabiu