Gunmen kidnap 13 persons in Abuja, demand N900m ransom

Suspected gunmen raided Piko, a secluded town in Abuja’s Bwari area council, and kidnapped 13 people.

It was reported that the incident, which began at midnight on Sunday in the village, continued more than an hour without being challenged by either the vigilante group or other security forces.

According to a close community source, Chief John Jatau, the village’s Maidakin, has verified that 10 residents, including four nomadic Fulani herders, were kidnapped from his domain.

He noted that out of the four Fulani people, one escaped from the kidnappers’ custody.

While he said that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of N900 million, he also gave the names of the kidnapped victims from his community.

According to him, the kidnap victims from the community that are still with their abductors are Nuhu Anyiwoyi, Emmanuel Nuhu, Danjuma Ali, Parisa Numa, Ezekiel Jatau, Shekwosa Ezekiel, Roseline Samuel, Salome Jacob, Abyelo Ezra, and Ezra Male.

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The source said, “The kidnapping incident occurred last night Sunday 05/05/2024, at about 11 pm. The kidnappers raided the village for about one hour without any response, or reaction from the community or outsiders, the major challenge the community faced last night in terms of communication to others was as a result of no telecommunication network in the village, so they picked people’s house to house, from the community they picked about 13 people, and later release three.

“The Madakin Piko informed me that they (gunmen) have called and they said they need the ramson of N900,000,000 (nine hundred million naira). They picked about four Fulani people and one of them is released.”

All possible efforts to reach the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, proved abortive as she neither replied to messages nor picked up calls placed to her for clarification on the incident.

Gunmen kidnap 13 persons in Abuja, demand N900m ransom

EFCC again raids Abuja BDC operators amid naira decline

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) resumed raids on Bureau de Change (BDC) operators in Abuja on Tuesday, targeting currency traders as the Nigerian Naira weakens against the US Dollar.

The raid targeted Wuse Zone 4, a major currency exchange hub in Abuja. A BDC operator confirmed the raid to Peoples Gazette, stating simply, “EFCC people are here!”

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This latest raid marks a continuation of the EFCC’s efforts to stabilize the Naira. Since February, the anti-graft agency has conducted nationwide operations targeting BDC operators, with over 20 arrests made in Abuja last week.

The EFCC accuses some BDC operators of aiding currency speculators who contribute to the Naira’s decline. However, the effectiveness of these raids in stabilizing the currency remains a subject of debate.

EFCC again raids Abuja BDC operators amid naira decline

Three siblings attack school teacher for flogging brother in Port Harcourt

The family of a J.S.S.1 student of a secondary school in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, simply identified as Favour, on Monday, accosted a female teacher, Sonia Amadi on her way to work and flogged her for allegedly whipping their child.

According to the punch, the family members also allegedly went into the school compound and locked up the Admin Officer, Joy Ajayi, inside her office and threatened to do the same to her.

It was gathered that it took the intervention of other parents to prevent the family who had physically assaulted the female teacher from beating up the Admin officer.

Speaking with newsmen, an Admin Officer of the school, ‘Silver Bird International School’ Agip, Mile 4, in Port Harcourt, Joy Ajayi said she was in her office on Monday morning when three boys matched in, locked the door and said they wanted to flog her.

“One of the boys carried the scissors we used in doing school work and threatened to stab me. He asked why should they flog his brother in this school,” she narrated.

“All the teachers came out that there was no need for them to take this thing to that extent. But they refused to open the door. There was a parent inside here with me and we were resolving an issue.

“So the parent had to start begging them that they should calm down. They were here for more than 15 to 20 minutes. My teachers were outside trying to get inside but they could not

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“They were saying they would flog me and that we should go and call the Police or lawyer. I now said I have a right to defend myself. As I was talking, that was when their father came, and said they should open the door. They opened the door and their father now said he wanted to take his family and that he would come back later

“Before they came to my office and locked me up, a teacher was flogged, my English teacher Sonia Amadi when she was coming to school.

“They flogged her seriously. She is in the office and I have to ask her to calm down. The mother of the boy also slapped her as she was coming to school

“The same people who came to my office had already accosted my teacher and flogged her seriously. As she was entering the gate they followed her and matched straight to my office, “she added.

It was gathered that the management of the school has lodged a formal complaint at the Ada George Police Division where the teacher was issued a medical form to visit the clinic for treatment.

Meanwhile, a rights group, the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, has condemned the alleged assault on the female teacher and invasion of the school by the student’s family

The National Coordinator of the group, Price Wiro, in a statement, said the parents of the student should have reported to the Ministry of Education if they felt their child was treated inappropriately or the Police in case of physical assault rather than taking laws into their hands.

We called on the Police to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident and anybody found culpable should be made to face the law.

“We condemn the invasion of the school by the student’s brothers and the locking up of an admin staff on account that she flogged their child in a manner that they considered inappropriate,” he said.

“I want to advise parents that if you feel that the way your child was treated in school is not right, there are channels for seeking redress. If there are physical signs of assault you can go to the police or the Ministry of Education to make a formal complaint.

“Resort to self-help by taking the laws into your hands is not the way to go. I therefore call on the Police to thoroughly investigate this matter anybody found culpable no matter how highly placed should face the law.”

Three siblings attack school teacher for flogging brother in Port Harcourt