Metro

Tension As Abductors Of A-Ibom Corps Members Threaten Parents Over Ransom

Published

2 years ago

November 30, 2023

Parents and family members of the prospective corps members from Akwa Ibom State, who were kidnapped on August 17, 2023 while travelling to orientation camp in Sokoto State are currently gripped with fear as the abductors demand that they pay N10 million each as ransom for the release of the victims.

One of the victim’s family member, Mr. Mfon Friday, who disclosed to Vanguard, yesterday, in Uyo so far, a total sum of N30.8million ransom has been paid to the abductors.

Friday who spoke angrily over the untold hardship the parents were currently facing as a result of their children’s abduction, recalled that the parents had initially paid the sum of N13.6 million and towards end of last month (October), another sum of N17.2 million was also paid, yet those children were not released.

He lamented: “As we speak, our children are still in Zamfara bush, including the driver of AKTC and it is over 100 days when they were kidnapped. When they called on Monday, the kidnappers said parents should pay another N70 million.

“Remember the first ransom the parents paid was over N13 million and it was paid collectively. But this time, they want the parents to pay N10 million each. Before end of October, N17 million was paid, making it about N30.8 million so far paid, yet they didn’t free those children.

“They only released one of the girls. And Monday this week, when they contacted us, they demanded N10 million from each family. How are we going to raise that kind of money? Those people failed to understand that those children are not from rich families.

“They even threatened to leave those children to die if the parents don’t pay the ransom very soon. I am very, very angry. Why can’t our government, the federal and state governments, do something to save the lives of those young graduates? In fact, when the parents heard that all the children were sick, you needed to see how they were crying, especially the mothers.

“They are not children of Policemen, the Army and politicians that is why they have been allowed to remain in kidnappers den till today? We are praying that nothing happens to them. And I am using this platform to appeal for urgent help from every well meaning citizens of this country, so that these children will not die in the kidnappers den.”

One of the victim’s sibling, who spoke to Vanguard in confidence after the affected families met in Uyo on Tuesday disclosed that the abductors were paid the N17.2million ransom before the released the female victims last month, who they gathered was seriously sick.

“In fact, I learned that the remaining seven have also fallen seriously sick and that is why the kidnappers are demanding this huge ransom and threatening that if we don’t pay very soon, those children will die. I am scared, I don’t want my sister to die. We are orphans, we struggled to go to school,” she lamented

VANGUARD

Metro

Flood Sweeps Off 7-yr-old Boy, Properties In Niger

Published

3 hours ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

Less than one month after the devastating Mokwa flood that claimed over 200 lives and damaged valuables, another flood has occurred in Bida, headquarters of Bida Local Government Area of Niger state.

Also, this is less than two weeks after buildings, bridges and culverts were swept off in same town.

The latest flood occurred after a downpour that lasted for three hours in the morning on Thursday morning.

Seven-year-old Mohammed Mohammed of Nasarafu ward, who was sent to a neighbourhood immediately after the rain, was swept off by flood.

Efforts by passers by and neighbours to rescue him proved abortive, as nobody could risk jumping into the flood.

His father, Mohammed Usman, told newsmen that his son’s body was yet to be recovered.

He said: “The incident is an act of God. But my pain is that up to this moment, my son’s corpse is yet to be found.

“Immediately the rain stopped, the entire community embarked on a search-and-rescue mission, but unfortunately, we are yet to get the corpse,” Malam Usman lamented.

Recall that on Saturday 14th June, a similar flood occurred in Bida. It led to the collapse of some buildings, a bridge, culvert and some business premises.

Contacted, the spokesperson of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, NSEMA, Hussaini Ibrahim, confirmed the incident, but did not give details.

He said: “The Agency is presently conducting an assessment of the incident. After the findings, the state government will respond accordingly.”

Metro

NDLEA Arrests 650 Suspects, Seizes 6, 634 kg Illicit Drugs In Nasarawa

Published

1 day ago

June 26, 2025

Editor

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Nasarawa State Command, says it arrested 650 suspects for drugs related offences and seized 6,633.667 kilogrammes of illicit substances in the state between July 2024 and June 2025.

The State Commander, Mr Dachi Elisha-David, made the disclosure at the grand finale of the 2025 UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Thursday in Lafia.

He attributed the feat to the renewed approach to the fight against drugs, championed by the Chairman of NDLEA, retired Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Marwa.

According to the Commander, the arrested suspects comprised 632 males and 18 females, while the seized illicit drugs and psychotropic substances include Cannabis Sativa, Cocaine, Methamphetamine and Diazepam.

Others were Tramadol, Rohypnol, Pentazocine injection, and Codeine.

Elisha-David also said that the command secured the conviction of 105 drug traffickers and filed 70 charges in Court within the period under review.

In the area of drug demand reduction, he said that the command through its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign reached a total of 90,943 persons across schools, motor parks , communities and workplaces in the state.

The commander, however, mentioned some of the challenges facing the NDLEA in the state to include lack of operational vehicles and other logistics, and paucity of funds to procure credible intelligence on the activities of drug dealers from confidential informants.

“Lack of willingness from the public to volunteer information on the nefarious activities of drug dealers in their midst is bad enough.

“More troubling are the youth in some of these communities who fight our operatives on raid operations that are targeted at drug dealers. This has been a concern to the command,” he said.

He said the theme of the 2025 commemoration ” The Evidence is Clear; Invest in Prevention” was instructive as it conforms with the ideal notion of UN framework to prioritise prevention, treatment and rehabilitation as against punishment and incarceration.

Drug Trafficking: NDLEA intensifies crackdown at Port Harcourt International Airport
He thanked Gov. Abdullahi Sule, his wife, traditional institution and other stakeholders in Nasarawa for their support to the agency in the fight against drugs in the state and urged for its sustenance.

He also appreciated the NDLEA boss, Marwa, and personnel of the agency for their commitment in fighting the menace of drugs in Nigeria.

Metro

JUST IN: Gospel Singer Sentenced To Death For Killing Girlfriend

Published

1 day ago

June 26, 2025

Editor

The High Court in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced gospel musician Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, Salome Adaidu.

Justice Simon Aboki on Thursday found Ajayi guilty of culpable homicide after months of trial.

Ajayi was convicted under Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria, which prescribes the death penalty for culpable homicide.

“The evidence before the court clearly shows that the accused intentionally caused the death of the deceased. The law is clear on this, and the punishment is death. Therefore, the accused is hereby sentenced to death by hanging,” Justice Aboki ruled.

Adaidu, 24, was a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member serving at Nicon Insurance in Abuja.

Ajayi was caught with Adaidu’s severed head in January.

He told Channels TV that he did not regret his action. “I killed her because we don’t have each other all the time. It’s not something I planned. It happened on that day and it happened. Not that I have the plan in mind,” Ajayi said.

“She was cheating. She hides most of the things from me most times. I got to know from her phone. I saw her chats with other guys on the phone, that was why I decided.

“I don’t have any regrets because life is reciprocal, that is what I thought. If you must do something to someone, you have to be reciprocal with that person.

“You have to understand what that person is going through so that you can actually put yourself in the position that the person is going through. That is why I don’t have any regrets because we were actually compatible.”

However, the victim’s elder sister, Esther Adaidu, denied that any relationship existed between Adaidu and Ajayi.