Gunmen Kidnap Three Travellers In Rivers

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2024

Editor

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of three travellers along the Obiri-Ikwerre – Airport Road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state by gunmen on Wednesday.

It was gathered that the gunmen blocked the left flank of the road which is about a five-minute drive from the Port Harcourt International Airport roundabout and reportedly ambushed some vehicles.

The gunmen shot indiscriminately, while they abducted some of the occupants of the vehicles.

Spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident on Thursday.

Iringe-Koko said the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, has drafted tactical team commanders and Divisional Police Officers to the area to rescue the victims.

She said, “I just spoke with the Divisional Police Officer who confirmed that three persons were kidnapped.

“The Commissioner of Police has asked Tactical Team Commanders and the DPOs within that jurisdiction to put adequate security measures in place, ensuring that the hoodlums are arrested.”

Meanwhile, an eyewitness simply identified as Emmanuel who narrowly escaped the attack, revealed that three occupants of a car used for public transportation were dragged out and taken away.

Emmanuel added that one of the victims who attempted to resist the gunmen was shot before being taken away.

He said he escaped death after manoeuvring his way out of the situation and hiding under a vehicle.

He said, “Not too far from the Airport J8nction en route to Obiri Ikwerre Flyover, I ran into an ambush along with about eight to 10 other cars.

“We all saw the kidnappers shooting and we reversed to race back to the Airport Junction but we were surrounded from the back, front and all around.

“People jumped out of their cars to escape and some were shot or apprehended.

“I jumped out to run but there was nowhere to run to and at that moment, the Lord showed me a car, spoke to me and said ‘enter under this car’, I obeyed.

“How can a grown man enter fully under a Honda salon car that’s not jacked up without his body being seen?

“But because I heard His voice, that became my saving grace. Three kidnappers walked past me, dragging a man and one entered the car.

“I’m alive today because of His mercies and covenant of protection over His children.

“My wife would have been a young widow if the bullets had hit me. My young children would have been fatherless but God said no.”

The PUNCH earlier reported that gunmen ambushed a convoy of Daewoo workers along the Ahoada/Abua East-West axis in Rivers State.

The gunmen shot four soldiers, and two drivers dead while they reportedly kidnapped two expatriates of the company recently.

It was gathered that the incident occurred around 9.30 am.

The PUNCH gathered that the victims were on their way to Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital when they were ambushed.

NAF Airstrikes Kill Scores Of Terrorists, Destroy Hideout In Borno

Published

2 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Air Force said air interdictions by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai have killed scores of terrorists and destroyed their enclave in Borno.

This was contained in a statement released by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, on Thursday in Abuja.

Ejodame said the strikes were conducted on Wednesday at about 10:50 a.m. in Bula Madibale, Gezuwa general area of the state.

He said intelligence and surveillance had confirmed unusual movements at the location, where about 45 terrorists were observed converging, some arriving on motorcycles and bicycles from different directions.

According to him, reconnaissance also revealed two terrorist flags hoisted at the site, underscoring its use as a stronghold and rallying point for insurgents.

“Acting on this credible intelligence, the Air Component launched precision strikes, eliminating several terrorists, while the flagged structure and other hostile assets were destroyed,” he said.

Ejodame also said that the strikes denied the terrorists freedom to regroup, reinforce or mount further attacks on communities in the North East.

He assured that the Armed Forces remained committed to restoring peace and stability across the region.

NAN

Metro

Police Arrest Islamic Cleric With Human Flesh In Oyo

Published

2 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested an Islamic cleric, simply identified as Alfa Bashiru, in possession of suspected human flesh.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Adewale Osifeso, confirmed this on Thursday in a post on the verified X handle of the Command.

He said that the Federal Highway Patrol team intercepted a white bus with registration number XA 551 IRG, which the suspect allegedly boarded, at the Toll Gate axis of the Ibadan Expressway at 11:30 a.m., on Wednesday.

Oyefeso said that the suspect, when quizzed, claimed to have bought the suspected human flesh in Lagos.

The suspect, he said, had been transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, for further investigation.

“The suspected item is undergoing forensic analysis to determine its authenticity and source,” Osifeso said.

In a separate development, operatives of the command during a Search and Stop Operation recovered an abandoned Toyota Camry car with Registration number LSD 957 JX.

Osifeso said that police operatives flagged down the Toyota Camry car during a routine search, and the driver of the car jumped down and took to his heels, abandoning the vehicle.

“The car has been taken into custody by the Command while members of the public with legitimate claims to the vehicle are urged to come forward with verifiable documents or contact the Police Command,” he said.

The police spokesman said that Stop and Search operations were not exaggerated security theatrics, but real and deliberate measures to maintain law and order and as well as ensuring the safety of residents and travellers within Oyo State.

Osifeso said that the command under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, appreciated the public for their continued cooperation and understanding.

He assured them of sustained police efforts to combat crime and foster a more secure environment.

NAN

Metro

Fake Madman Arrested For Cultivating Cannabis Farm In Anambra

Published

3 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 43-year-old man, Patrick Ojele, for allegedly disguising himself as a mentally unstable person while secretly cultivating a cannabis farm in Awka, the state capital.

The Spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, stated in a press release on Thursday that operatives attached to the operations department arrested the suspect during a patrol along the Awka–Enugu Expressway, near Ngozika Estate, on Wednesday.

The statement read in part, “The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 43-year-old man, Patrick Ojele, who pretended to be mentally unstable while secretly cultivating a marijuana farm in Awka, the state capital.

“The police operatives attached to the Operations Department, Awka, nabbed the suspect on September 17, 2025, during a routine patrol along the Awka–Enugu Expressway near Ngozika Estate.

“He later led the team to the hidden farm, where large quantities of weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa were recovered.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, noted that the arrest reflects the Command’s renewed strategy of cutting off criminal supplies by targeting drug dealers who embolden cultists and violent offenders.”

According to him, the CP further directed that the suspect should be handed over to the Special Anti-Cultism Squad, Enugwu-Ukwu, for discreet investigation to trace his buyers and dismantle the wider distribution network.

The PUNCH had reported that the police command has arrested no fewer than 54 suspects, comprising 39 males and 15 females, for various offences ranging from kidnapping, cultism, hard drugs and banned substances.

Ikenga said the arrests were followed by coordinated raids by police operatives in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, and Ifitedunu, Dunukofia LGA, in separate raid operations.

According to him, the coordinated operations were in line with renewed strategies aimed at restoring sanity in the state and curbing the growing menace of crime among young people between 18 and 26 years.