Metro

Kidnap Of Oil Workers In Lagos: Family Of Victims Weep, Besiege Company Office

Published

2 years ago

June 29, 2023

Editor

Barely 48 hours after the Managing Director and seven employees of a Lagos-based oil company were kidnapped while in a boat heading towards the highbrow Lekki area of the state, anxious family members of the victim reportedly besieged the premises of the oil company in Apapa, demanding to know the fate of the victims.

The oil workers were kidnapped last Monday while in the boat and the boat they boarded was discovered later drifting in a different area from where they were headed without them. Eyewitnesses said they were forced out of their boat into another that took them away. Their boat did not capsize and their belongings were intact.

Sources said the family members who were wearing gloomy faces made frantic efforts to have audience with authorities of the oil company without success. They reportedly nearly created an ugly scene at the company but for the intervention of one unnamed top official of the company who pleaded for time to enable them take decisive action towards locating the victims safely.

It was also learned that so far, the kidnappers have not gotten in touch with family members of the victims but, sources hinted that they may be in serious discreet negotiation with the oil company where they targeted to get huge sums of money as ransom.

One of the sources that pleaded for strict anonymity told Vanguard that authorities of the oil company have instructed members of the family of the victims not to take any step that will jeopardize their secret negotiations with the kidnappers in other not to endanger the lives of their relations.

On their part, Lagos State Police Command stated unequivocally, through their spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin that investigation into the kidnap of the oil workers is still in progress. Hundeyin further explained that because of the sensitive nature of the incident which involved human lives, he would not give more details of the efforts police is making towards rescuing the victims in other not to endanger their lives.

Metro

Edo Police Arrest Four Suspected Cultists

Published

2 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

Edo Police Command said it has arrested four suspected cultists allegedly responsible for cult violence in Auchi and its environs of the state.

In a statement, the command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Yamu said, the suspects, who were arrested during a joint operation, belong to different cultist groups.

The statement reads partly, “On 22/06/2025, operatives of the Command’s Anti-Cultism Unit in a joint operation with Jattu and Auchi Divisions embarked on a house-to-house arrest of cultists.

“These four (4) suspects were arrested in various locations in Auchi; Musa Murphy 25yrs of No 35 Ogeneni area Jattu, Auchi a member of Arobaga Confraternity, Gabriel Moses 25yrs of ECocota-Community, Auchi a member of Aye Confraternity, Michael Ayo 23yrs of No1 Emeke Uzuire, Auchi member of Eiye Confraternity and Philip Sunday 24yrs of Ebira camp, Auchi a member of Vikings Confraternity.”

Yamu expressed the state Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika’s assurance to the “general public of the Command’s resolve to rid the State of cultism while the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.”

Metro

Chaos In Court As Ex-convict Attempts To Escape

Published

6 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

A dramatic scene unfolded on Tuesday in an Ilorin Area Court as an ex-convict, Segun Samuel, attempted to escape from the court premises, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The Prosecution Counsel, ASP Samuel Mayowa, who witnessed the incident, told NAN that the ex-convict cunningly removed the chains from his leg with a broomstick, walked towards the restroom and scaled the court fence.

“He has four different criminal cases in this court. One of the cases was heard on Monday, and he was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.

“In the second criminal case, he was sentenced to six months of community service, and the third case was supposed to be heard today, before he pulled that stunt,” he said.

Luckily, he said, the police officers in the court premises and the prison warder swung into action and pursued him.

He said that after a thorough search, and with the help of the community, the ex-convict was found in a dilapidated building at Oke-Suna Area, Ilorin.

The Correctional Service officer, he said, was called, and the ex-convict was captured and returned to custody

Metro

One Dead As Police Foil Kidnap Attempt In Kogi

Published

8 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

The Police Command in Kogi has confirmed the death of one passenger in a foiled attempt to abduct passengers along the Obajana-Oshokoshoko road in the state.

A statement on Tuesday in Lokoja by SP Williams Ovye-Aya, the command’s spokesman, said the feat was part of a series of bold operations carried out in the command.

Ovye-Aya said that on June 23, the Obajana Division operatives foiled the attempted abduction of passengers along the Obajana-Oshokoshoko road.

“The police patrol team responded promptly to sporadic gunfire and engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel, forcing them to flee.

“All passengers were successfully rescued, but six sustained injuries, and one later died while receiving treatment,” he said.

He further stated that the command, in a separate incident, arrested two suspects in Ayingba for possession of firearms and recovered several exhibits on June 21.

He said the two arrested suspects were found in possession of a locally made pistol, live cartridges, and suspected Indian hemp.

Again, he disclosed that on June 22, operatives of the Okene Division intercepted a Nissan vehicle with five passengers heading towards Auchi.

He said that during a search, one passenger escaped, leaving behind a bag containing a submachine gun (SMG) rifle, live ammunition, and other exhibits.

The spokesman listed the recovered items as “1 SMG rifle with breach number 5197, 1 magazine, 28 live rounds of 5.6 mm, 1 live G3 round, a locally made pistol, 2 live cartridges and other items.”

Ovye-Aya quoted the commissioner of police, Miller Dantawaye, as reassuring citizens of the command’s commitment to ensuring the safety of lives and property in the state.

(NAN)