No fewer than 14 persons have been reported abducted at Konto Kerifi along Lokoja/Abuja highway when armed men numbering over twenty stormed the highway on February 27, 2024.

A relative to one of the victims who narrated the story to our correspondent, explained that a Toyota Hilux bus that was attacked was an Abuja bound vehicle from Warri in Delta State.

The relative who gave his name as David Akio said his brother, Jordan Odi, a former aide to the honourable Minister of Environment was one of the persons taken inside the Kogi forest by the armed men.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: One Kidnapped As Gunmen Shoot 3 Poly Students In Nasarawa

He disclosed that the abductors have demanded ransom of N25 million from the victim.

Akio who appealed for help, said this would be the second time in less than a year his brother would fall victim in the hands of kidnappers.

According to him, “I’m as confused as the huge ransom demanded; where can we get such an amount of money, the first ransom the family paid to secure his freedom during the first abduction was N8 million and another N25 million is being demanded just within a few months. The family had to practically sell all we had to secure his freedom in the first encounter with these men.

“Now this; we are appealing for assistance from well meaning Nigerians for him to be freed and safely return home to us.

READ ALSO: Police Arrest Gunmen In Bayelsa Community, Recover Arms

“His only offence is traveling to Abuja just the same way he was heading to Port Harcourt when the first kidnap took playced on September 15, 2023.

“To be precise, he was abducted around Okogbe community along Ahoada, with two others where he spent eight days in captivity for us to raise the money demanded to secure his release.

“He was only a former aide to the Minister of Environment who has nothing to do at the moment. It is sad that the country is no longer safe for the commoners whose only offence is to be a Nigerian.

“He is yet to fully come out of that last trauma when this happened.”

By Joe Ebi

The Chairman, Esan South East Local Government Council of Edo State, Hon. Louis Imhandegbelo, has appealed to the Federal Government, the state government and private bodies to, as a matter of urgency, come to the rescue of over 400 persons displaced by flood in Illushi and Odaba communities in Esan South East and Etsako local government areas of the state.

The Executive Chairman made the appeal when he paid an on-site assessment to the affected communities on Tuesday December 5th, 2023.

INFO DAILY reports that over 100 houses and thousands of hectares of farmland are already affected by the flood as their crops, such as rice and their properties have Been washed away by the flood.

INFO DAILY also reports that the communities that are mostly affected are on the bank of River Niger.

READ ALSO: Flood Wrecks Havoc In Delta, Sacks Five Communities

Imhandegbelo, while lamenting the loss, said that because of the enormous destruction occasioned by the flood, there was little or nothing the council could do.

While noting that no fewer than 600  indigenes are affected with about half the number already “displaced by the flood as of today, the 5th day of December, 2023.”

He said temporary camps set up to accommodate the displaced shall be maintained immediately.

“I am appealing to all relevant government agencies, as well as the state and Federal Government to come to the aid of the victims.”

He said: “The disaster is mind-boggling. Homes are submerged, some houses have been even destroyed, and farmlands and crops were washed away. People don’t have homes to sleep in and have their normal daily life.” 

Assuring the people of government’s Intervention, he said; “We are in the process of evacuating you to safer locations. But the job is obviously beyond us; hence, we are calling on both the state and federal government to come to our aid without delay,”

Okogbe community around Ahoada, East West road in River State was again on the spot light on Friday September 15, when dare devil armed men operated on the busy road in a style that held motorists spellbound.

It was gathered that the operation that lasted for over 30 minutes left one person dead and three others whisked away into a nearby forest.

Okogbe, just like other spots on major highways across the country, have become a black spot for robbers and kidnappers alike who often demand humongous ransom from their victims after abduction.

READ ALSO: Gunmen Kill 27, Including Mourners In Benue, Raze Market

Thursday’s attack was believed to have been carried out by the notorious Gift Okpara aka 2baba, known to have been terrorising the area for sometime now.

Though 2baba have been declared wanted by the law enforcement agency, but he has been able to escape their (Police) dragnet severally.

An eye witness to the recent incident at Okogbe who identified himself as Oborevwori, said it was surprising that police who were a few meters away from the scene could do nothing to protect or prevent the abduction and killing.

He explained that the three abducted victims were occupant of a Corona vehicle that overtook him minutes before the incident.

READ ALSO: Gunmen Kill Intending Couple, Brother In Imo

“I had earlier met those three occupants of the Corona car at Ughelli where we had stopped at a usual popular eatery where motorists stop for refreshment.

“It is indeed unfortunate that the government seems helpless on how to address incessant kidnapping on our highways.

“As for the one killed, it was just unfortunate that he was hit by one of the stray bullets which the armed men had sprayed sporadically to scare motorists while carrying out the operation,” he stated.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state Police Command in River state, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident and said that efforts were already been made to secure their release.