Metro

Police Parade Notorious Abuja Kidnapper, Philip-Okoye, 15 Others

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2024

The police, comprising operatives from the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and the Anti-Violent Unit of the FCT command, have arrested three kidnappers responsible for various abductions in the Bwari Area Council.

The three kidnappers, including one who carries out surveillance on people of commercial value, Idris Ishiaku, aka Yellow; Bala Umar; and Dahiru Salisu, are among the 16 criminal suspects paraded by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Muyiwa Adejobi, supported by the IRT Commander, DCP, on Saturday in Abuja.

According to the Force PRO, the kidnapping gang was apprehended following the deployment of technology, which was used to intercept a call by Yellow informing his gang that they had successfully kidnapped a wealthy civil servant.

During the telephone conversation, Yellow told his gang members that the civil servant should not be let go unless the family pays the sum of N50 million as ransom.

Asked where he came from and his job, Yellow said he hails from Kaduna but rented a house in Bwari, where he works as a security guard and does farming.

He said that last year he took part in one kidnapping attack but that this year he has taken part in two kidnappings, adding that in one of the kidnappings he made N600,000 and in another he made the sum of N500,000.

It was his insistence that the latest kidnapping (Civil Servang) must yield the sum of N50 million and the process of waiting for the collection of the ransom that led to their arrest.

He said he has no guns or arms, but when they have an operation, he usually gets in touch with another gang that has guns to come join them.

ACP Adejobi used the occasion to advise residents of the FCT to be mindful of the persons they employ as security guards or housekeepers, noting that many of them have questionable characters while others are there to carry out surveillance for criminal gangs.

“Always get information about somebody before renting your house out or employing people as security guards. Contact the police and get the profiles of those you want to employ. We should be vigilant and more careful,” he said.

On the arrest of Chinaza Philips in Kaduna and his handover to the FCT Command, the FPRO said the police did not kill the notorious kidnapper to hide information about his other gang members as being insinuated.

Showing the injured kidnapper, Adejobi said that Chinaza and three other armed members of his gang disposed of his ATM card while on their way to Kano and withdrew N500,000. At Kaduna, they stopped at a petrol station to buy fuel before the police swooped on them.

During the shootout, Chinaza was shot in the leg; three other gang members escaped; the kidnapped victim was rescued, and the Hilux jeep was recovered.

While disclosing that Chinaza was presently on bail from a high court in Kwali, having been earlier arrested for a kidnapping offence, the Force PRO said he jumped bail to commit the latest kidnapping crime.

Three gunrunners involved in selling arms and ammunition to criminal gangs, namely Ayuba Kamson, Samuel Musa, and Magaji Everest, who had sold over 100 arms, including pistols and AK-47 rifles, were paraded. The police recovered 11 pistols and rifles from them.

Another gang of gunrunners and kidnapping kingpins paraded were Usman Yinusa and Samina Haruna, who have their operational base in Obajana and are behind gangs terrorising Kogi and Kaduna states.

Two AK-47 rifles were recovered from them after their arrest by the IRT.

PUNCH

Metro

Ex-convict Arrested In Edo For Armed Robbery, Possession Of Firearm

Published

8 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) has arrested a 45-year-old ex-convict, Owen Osas, for alleged unlawful possession of firearms and suspected involvement in a robbery incident.

Osas was reportedly arrested with a cut-to-size single-barrel gun during a covert operation along Fishpond Road in Eyean, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area.

The arrest reportedly comes barely a year after he was released from prison, where he had served time for illegal possession of firearms and other criminal offences.

Osas, who confessed to the latest crime, also admitted to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.

READ ALSO:Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo
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Consequently, a victim of an alleged robbery incident, Reginia Izy, identified Osas as the person who robbed her a day before his arrest.
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The victim narrated that the suspect had approached her residence around 8 p.m., pretending to be familiar before carrying out the attack.
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‎The Deputy Commander Operations of ESSC, Richard Balogun, said the arrest was part of intensified efforts to rid Edo State of criminal elements.

READ ALSO:Edo South Senatorial Seat: Nothing Wrong Seeking Wike’s Support – Ogbeide-Ihama
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‎Balogun explained that operatives conduct both overt patrols and covert operations to track and apprehend suspects.
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He said, ‎“Our men are always on patrol. Some operate in plain clothes as part of covert strategies, while others are stationed at strategic locations.

“Osas, who is a former convict, was arrested with firearms and he also confessed to be a member of the Eiye Confraternity.”
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Metro

Gunmen Kidnap Businessman In Ibadan

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 60-year-old man in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The victim was kidnapped on Saturday while on his way to his residence.

The incident occurred at Jinarere, Alakia in Ibadan.

Public Relations Officer of the State Police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

Ayanlade in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, explained that efforts are ongoing to rescue the victim.

Ayanlade said, “Preliminary information reveals that the victim, a 60-year-old male and building materials trader, was accosted while returning home along the Jinarere axis of Alakia Road by four masked armed men, who forcefully whisked him away in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle”.

Metro

Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

A 30-year-old entrepreneur and CEO of Principle Takeout, Justice Abu Oshioke, has been killed by suspected kidnappers in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

He was reportedly attacked by the suspected kidnappers on Saturday while on his way to pick up an order made for his child’s dedication on Sunday morning.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers attempted to force him into a nearby bush in a kidnapping attempt. However, he reportedly resisted and tried to escape.

In the course of the struggle, the assailants opened fire, shooting him multiple times.

Concerned residents quickly rushed him to a nearby medical facility, but he was confirmed dead on arrival.

The deceased was said to have recently gotten married and welcomed a baby boy.

The tragic event has turned a joyous occasion into a moment of grief for the family.

The shocking development has left the Ekpoma community in deep sorrow, with many residents expressing outrage over the growing insecurity in the area.

Edo State Police Command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem confirmed the incident and said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika has ordered a “full-scale investigation and intensified manhunt for those responsible.”

According to her, the Police, in collaboration with the military, local vigilantes, and hunters, are actively pursuing the perpetrators through coordinated operations.