Connect with us

Metro

Delta Police Kill Four Suspected Kidnappers, Recover Weapons

Published

on

The Delta State Police Command says it has killed four suspected kidnappers who have been terrorising the Ogwashi-Uku and Ubulu-Uku axis.

The command spokesman, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

Edafe said, “Following the kidnap of a doctor at Issele-uku on April 6, 2025 and his release on April 7, 2025, after collecting a ransom of N15 million from the medical doctor and the driver.

Advertisement

“The commissioner of Police, Delta State, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, directed operatives of the CP-Special Assessment team to embark on an intelligence-led investigation and ensure that the kidnappers are arrested and brought to justice.

READ ALSO: Delta: Site Engineer Murdered By Employees, Police Arrest Two Suspects

“In complaince with the said directive, the commander CP Special Assignment team, ASP Julius Robinson led his team in a sting operation on Friday trailed and arrested one Abubakar Usman Popularly known as “Shehu” the suspect is the gang leader of a deadly kidnapping syndicate and responsible for series of kidnap at Ogwashi-uku, Ibusa, Ubuluku and environs.

Advertisement

“The group is also responsible for the kidnapping and murder of estate realtor, late Esther Ojoh.

“They were also responsible for the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of Mr Godwin Anuka after killing him at Ogwashi-uku area as well, and also confessed to being responsible for the kidnapping of a realtor, Esther Ojoh, at Ibusa, whose corpse was later found on the 25th March 2025.”

Edafe said that the suspect led operatives to their hideout on Friday, a forest along the Asaba/Agbor express road between Okpanam and Issele-Asagba.

Advertisement

READ ALSO: ‘Na Your Mama’: Delta Nursing Student Faces Sanction Over Viral Video [LETTER INSIDE]

He said the suspect raised an alarm and fled to join his waiting gang members, where the gang members engaged the team in a fierce gun duel during which four of the suspects, including the said Usman Abubakar, sustained serious gunshot injuries.

According to Edafe, the injured suspects were taken to the general hospital in Ogwashi-uku, where they were all confirmed dead.

Advertisement

He said items, including three AK-47 rifles, and 90 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, were recovered from the suspects.
(PUNCH)

Advertisement
Comments

Metro

Residents Flee Kogi Community Over Fear Of Bandit Attacks

Published

on

Hundreds of residents of Okunran village in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State have deserted their homes following persistent attacks by armed bandits.

A viral video circulating on social media showed the once-bubbling community completely deserted, with houses abandoned and streets empty.

Okunran, once a bubbling town, is now a ghost town,” a resident said.

Advertisement

The villagers said they fled to escape incessant kidnappings, killings, and ransom demands that have plagued the community.

READ ALSO:Army Kills Notorious Bandit, Babangida, In Kogi

The government has failed us, security agencies have failed us. If we remain here, we will be consumed by bandits. We are tired of paying ransom and contributing money for bandits,” said Akin Samuel, a fleeing resident.

Advertisement

The Guardian learnt that neighbouring communities, including Okoloke and Egbe, are also considering leaving if the attacks persist.

The abduction of the first-class traditional ruler of Okoloke, 90-year-old Pa. Dada James Ogunyanda, in May 2025, deepened the climate of fear in the area. Although he was released after a ransom was paid, the monarch has refused to return to his palace.

A native of Okunran, Auwal Maroof, who now lives in Lokoja, said the decision to flee became inevitable.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:One Dead, Five Injured In Kogi Road Crash

We have been praying for God’s intervention, but the insecurity persists to the point that fleeing was the only option to stay alive,” he said.

Egbe, the commercial hub of Yagba, is feared to be vulnerable due to its close connection with neighbouring Kwara State, where the bandits are suspected to be coming from.

Advertisement

Local sources report that at least 10 people, including seven police officers and three civilians, were killed by bandits in Yagba within one week this month.

The Chairman of Yagba East Local Government recently imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in a bid to contain the crisis, while the Kogi State government and the senator representing the district have pledged to rid the area of bandits.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Metro

18 Dead, Dozens Missing In Zamfara Mine Collapse

Published

on

Rescuers in Nigeria are searching for dozens of people missing after a boulder crashed onto an illegal mine during heavy rains, killing at least 18 people, local sources told AFP on Saturday.

The rock came crashing down on Thursday on the mine in the northern Zamfara state outside the Kadauri village in the Maru district, they said.

“We have managed to pull out 18 dead bodies from the pit and five other survivors who sustained various degrees of injuries,” Sani Lawwali, a miner who works in unauthorised pits, said from Kadauri.

Advertisement

A dozen other miners were still trapped inside and their fate remained unknown, said Lawwali, who took part in the rescue effort.

READ ALSO:

“The process is slow and laborious as we use our bare hands to chisel the end of the boulder to make holes for limited access into the pit,” he said.

Advertisement

Rescuers have asked for a bulldozer being used at a nearby road construction site to be brought in to help, but had not yet received a response from the company using it, Lawwali added.

Abubakar Nabube, a local community leader, confirmed the death toll of 18. He said that 15 of those killed came from the nearby Maikwanugga and Damaga villages.

If no help comes from emergency agencies soon, none of those trapped would come out alive,” he said.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:Bandits Attack Mosque In Zamfara, Kill, Abduct Worshippers

Zayyanu Ibrahim, a resident of Kadauri village said the collapse occurred at one of several newly dug sites in the recently established mining site.

“Dozens of miners were working in the pit while it heavily rained outside. A huge boulder at the mouth of the pit collapsed and buried miners inside,” said Ibrahim, who also confirmed the toll.

Advertisement

Sani Abdullahi, a councillor in the area, said it was difficult to say how many people there were in the pit at the time of the accident.

READ ALSO:Zamfara Gov Disburses ₦322m To Support 8,225 Schoolgirls

Officials from the Nigerian emergency agency NEMA did not respond to an AFP enquiry about the accident.

Advertisement

Zamfara, a poor agrarian state, is rich in gold deposits where illegal artisanal mining thrives in the countryside, despite several attempts by authorities to stop the practice.

The authorities have blamed illegal mining for the worsening of bandit violence, with criminal gangs getting money from protection fees they extort from miners.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Metro

Police Confirm Abduction Of 17 Passengers Along Calabar Waterway

Published

on

The Police Command in Cross River has confirmed the abduction of 17 passengers by sea pirates along the Calabar Waterways.

The command’s Deputy Public Relations Officer, DSP Igri Ewa, who made the confirmation on Saturday in Calabar, said that the passengers were abducted on Thursday.

Ewa said that the command had already swung into action to ensure the ‘immediate and prompt’ rescue of the abductees.

Advertisement

According to the police spokesperson, a serving police officer in Akwa Ibom and a popular politician in Cross River who were on board the boat narrowly escaped abduction.

READ ALSO:Six Arrested For Alleged Killing Of Police Constable In Bayelsa

A passenger who preferred anonymity told newsmen that the boat was attacked a few minutes after take-off from Oron en route Calabar.

Advertisement

They stopped our boat, transferred some passengers to their boat, and when their boat was full, they took off.

“When we arrived at the Inland Waterways Jetty, we were thoroughly quizzed by the police. Our statements were later taken before we were allowed to go home.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending