metro
Kidnappers demand N150m for ex-NFF officers abducted after Abuja wedding
A former Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Sani Toro; a former Assistant Coach of the Nigeria Super Eagles, Garba Yila; and one of their friends, Alhaji Isa Jah, have been abducted by gunmen.
Our correspondent gathered that they were kidnapped around a village in Nasarawa State.
They were said to have been on their way back to Bauchi from Abuja where they attended the wedding of the son of a former NFF President, Aminu Maigari, on Saturday.
They were said to have left Abuja around 5pm and were kidnapped around 7.30pm.
A family source, who confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro in a telephone interview on Sunday, said the kidnappers had demanded N150m as ransom.
The source said the hoodlums spoke to their host, Maigari.
“Yes, it is true that he (Isa Toro) was driving with two of his friends when they were kidnapped yesterday (Saturday). The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of N50m for each of them,” the source said.
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A family friend and neighbour of Toro, Mallam Ardo Hazzad, also confirmed the incident to our correspondent.
He said, “One of them, the former Super Eagles Assistant Coach, Garba Yila, is not in a good condition, health wise.
“It is unfortunate and pathetic for the incident to have happened after they went for the wedding of one of our friends. And if I was aware of the wedding, I would have been with them because I would have travelled with them to the wedding in Abuja.”
The Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakili, who confirmed the abduction, said he could not give details of the incident as it happened outside his state.
Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, said, “Yes, the news is true. I got across to one of his sons who told me he was kidnapped around Akwanga road in Nasarawa while returning from Abuja.”
A former Deputy National President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Umar Sai’du, described the incident as sad and disturbing, saying it would send panic to sports administrators, as well as the sportsmen and women.
Sa’idu, who is the current Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Bauchi State, said the rising insecurity in the country was worrisome.
He said, “Consider the 20 premier league clubs we have in the country; how many of them can afford to travel by air? Some of them used to travel throughout the night and that means they are not safe. It will send a wrong signal to our sports sector that nobody is safe, especially the sports administrators.
“It will discourage sportsmen and women because they will refuse travelling to some parts of the country because of the fear of being kidnapped or killed.”
The Special Adviser to the Bauchi State Governor on Security, Brig. Gen. Marcus Yake (retd), described the incident as sad and unfortunate.
He said, “I don’t think that they were really targeted because of who they are. I think it was just random kidnapping. I was personally not happy that they followed that road because it is a dangerous road and it was at night. There are a lot of bushes and they are known for criminal activities.
“There have been kidnappings, banditry and criminal activities especially at night because even people who travel through that road in the daytime are not totally safe, let alone at night.”
Kidnapping is on the rise in the country, with clerics and traditional rulers also falling victims.
Among recent victims are the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Samuel Kanu-Uche; the Anglican Bishop of Jebba Diocese, Kwara State, Rt. Rev. Oluwaseun Aderogba; and a Plateau State traditional ruler, Ugoh Ababs, among others.
Experts have advised increased community policing and use of technological tools as obtainable in advanced countries in addressing the problem.
metro
16 passengers burnt to death on Enugu road accident (PHOTOS)
16 passengers burnt to death on Enugu road accident (PHOTOS)
Sixteen travellers tragically lost their lives in a motor accident in Enugu State on Tuesday evening, with two others narrowly escaping the same fate.
According to a statement by Enugu State Police Command spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the accident occurred along Enugu/Opi/Nsukka Road, where 16 out of the 18 passengers in the bus were burnt beyond recognition.
Ndukwe confirmed that the deceased victims comprised 14 males and two females, with the survivors rushed to an undisclosed hospital for treatment.
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The accident involved an 18-seater white Toyota Hummer bus with a Bauchi State commercial registration number DAS 215 XA. Preliminary investigations suggest that the bus, laden with edible vegetables and other food items, lost control at high speed, veering off the road and crashing into the fence of Maduka University in Ekwegbe, Igbo-Etiti local government area.
Sadly, the vehicle burst into flames upon impact, leading to the tragic loss of life. The Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, along with officials from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), visited the scene to assess the situation.
While expressing condolences to the families of the victims, the CP appealed for assistance from individuals who can help identify the deceased or provide information to trace their family members.
16 passengers burnt to death on Enugu road accident (PHOTOS)
metro
Ogun frees 49 inmates to decongest prisons
Ogun frees 49 inmates to decongest prisons
The Chief Judge of Ogun, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, on Tuesday granted pardon to 49 inmates as part of efforts to decongest correctional facilities in the state.
Ms. Dipeolu pardoned the inmates during a jail delivery exercise at Oba, Ibara, and Ilaro correctional centres in Ogun State.
Thirty-one inmates were released from the Oba correctional centre, 15 from Ibara, and three from Ilaro correctional centre, bringing the total number of inmates granted amnesty to 49.
Ms. Dipeolu said that the exercise was to decongest the facilities, adding that cases of inmates were reviewed, leading to the freedom granted to those deemed deserving.
When she visited the Ilaro correctional centre, she said correctional facilities needed improvement.
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”We cannot afford to have deaths on our hands due to overcrowding. The conditions here at the correctional centre have not improved. It is evident that overcrowding is rampant, even without official statistics. Dipeolu expressed particular concern about the overcrowding among those awaiting trial, highlighting their suffering without a conviction.
Also at the Oba correctional centre, the chief judge expressed concern with the overcrowding and condition of the facility.
“We cannot ignore the plight of those awaiting trial, many of whom have been incarcerated for years without conviction,” she said.
At the Ibara correctional centre, the CJ commended the managers of the facility for their efforts at maintaining a relatively better environment, urging them to do more to address the other challenges.
She, however, emphasised the need for swift justice and rehabilitation, rather than mere punishment, to address the root causes of congestion.
In his remarks, controller of the correctional centre, Saliu Adepoju, commended the chief judge and her entourage for exercising and upholding the judiciary’s ethics.
The CJ was accompanied by a team of judges from the state high court, the director of public prosecution management, and some officials, including the state controller and assistant controller of the correctional centre.
Ogun frees 49 inmates to decongest prisons
metro
Rampaging cultists gun down SUG official, one other in Edo
Rampaging cultists gun down SUG official, one other in Edo
Fear gripped residents as two students from Ambrose Alli University (AAU) in Ekpoma, a government-owned institution in Edo state, fell victim to a tragic incident of cult violence.
Among them was a member of the university’s Students’ Union Government (SUG). The SUG official, a 400-level student in the Faculty of Agriculture, met his demise on Poultry Road Extension in Ekpoma.
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This unfortunate event came shortly after another incident where an individual named Eddy was fatally assaulted for allegedly using fake bank alerts during a transaction. Regrettably, this incident was mistakenly interpreted as an attack by rival cult factions. Consequently, a cycle of violence ensued, resulting in the deaths of the two undergraduates.
Rampaging cultists gun down SUG official, one other in Edo
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