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How we were terrorised with poisonous snakes – Kidnap victims

Published

11 months ago

February 18, 2024

How we were terrorised with poisonous snakes – Kidnap victims

Some Nigerians recently freed from captivity have revealed that kidnappers use poisonous snakes to terrorise them.

Some of them, who recounted their ordeals in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), said that there were many snakes in the forests inhabitated by the bandits.

They said that the snakes often bite both the kidnappers and the victims.

One of them, who craved anonymity, told NAN that kidnappers threw them into snake-infested spots.

“The kidnappers know the areas infested with snakes and would often throw the victims there.

“Immediately they see snakes, the fear-stricken victims will want to run away. The sight is used to frighten people.

“That is the time a victim can ask friends and family members to sell everything – house, land, cars, household items, shoes, just everything – to raise the ransom.”

NAN investigation revealed that the worst snake-infested forests are in Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, and Kala-Balge, near Lake Chad, in Borno.

Other areas included Shaki in Oyo State, Borgu and Kagara in Niger, Karim Lamido in Adamawa, and Lau in Taraba.

Some of the victims told NAN that the situation is worse now with the current heat as snakes leave their holes in search of fresh air and food.

“The nights are often more traumatising. You are left outside, in the dark, and a reptile may just creep through your legs.

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“While I was in captivity, snakes bit some victims. The kidnappers were not spared as some of them also got bitten,” a victim, who was taken to a thick forest in Kagara, in Niger, told NAN.

According to him, in Kagara forest, the snakes are so common that the locals refer to them as “kadangarun Kagara (Kagara lizards).”

Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, Chairman, Echitap Study Group, the outfit in charge of Echitap Anti-Snake Venom(ASV), who spoke on the development, confirmed that banditry was associated with areas prone to snake bites.

Nasidi, whose group collaborates with Micropharm UK Ltd and Instituto Clodomiro Picardo (ICP), Costa Rica, to bring the drugs to Nigeria, decried the rising cases of snake bites in Nigeria.

“Unfortunately for us, the cost of snake bite treatment has gone well beyond the reach of the poor,” he said.

While confirming that some abductees indeed returned with snakebite wounds, he said that the cost of treatment could only be affordable if the ASV drugs were produced locally.

“The ASV manufacturers are ready to collaborate with us to produce the ASV in Nigeria.

“It is only when we produce ASV locally in Nigeria that we can make it available at a reduced cost.

“The rise in the value of the dollar has made the cost of foreign production so high that the poor man who, in most cases, is the victim of snake bites, cannot afford it.

“In the past, villagers used to contribute money to purchase ASV, that is no longer possible.

“An ample of the Echitap G ASV, which takes care of venoms from a carpet viper, costs 59 Pounds factory price. 97 per cent of poisonous snake bite cases in Nigeria are from carpet vipers.

“For Echitap plus ICP ASV, which treats venom from puff adder, carpet viper and black cobra, an ample is 24 dollars factory price.

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“If you add the cost of transportation from the two countries – UK and Costa Rica – plus the charges for clearance at the ports, the price becomes a different thing.”

He identified the most poisonous snakes in Nigeria as carpet viper, puff adder and black cobra.

“But, we even have an equally dangerous snake – Black Mamba – in Abuja. So, we also need an ASV for it,” he said.

According to him, in the past, Nigerians bitten by snakes had 40 per cent chances of survival.

“But, if the black mamba is added, the chances shrink to 10 per cent. It means we desperately need to produce ASV locally,” he said.

On kidnappers deliberately exposing their victims to snakes, he pointed out that snakes do not know the difference between a kidnapper and his victim.

He lamented the prevalence of snake bites among poor Nigerians that were already hungry.

“If a snake bites a hungry person, his case is only pathetic as he is already economically traumatised without much hope.”

He particularly condemned the inhuman behaviour of exposing abductees to snake bites, and regretted the “zero” premium placed on human life.

“From the accounts of victims, kidnapped people could see a snake coming toward them and are not allowed to run. Nothing is more traumatising.”

Nasidi said that his group had submitted a proposal to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for the local production of ASV.

“The proposal has been approved and we are waiting for the money to start up.

“The foreign manufacturers are ready to offer the technology. So, we are hopeful that we shall soon start local production of ASV,” he said.

Nasidi advised Nigerians to be careful while moving at night, noting that snakes were moving closer to human habitats.

“We must all be very watchful and observant. Treating snake bites is very expensive. So, prevention is better than any form of cure,” he said.

How we were terrorised with poisonous snakes – Kidnap victims

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NLC insists on withdrawal of Tax Reform Bills

Published

50 minutes ago

January 1, 2025

Trends Admin

NLC insists on withdrawal of Tax Reform Bills

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday insisted on the withdrawal of the Tax Reform Bills forwarded by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly for passage to enable all key national stakeholders to be part of the process.

Recall that the bills had drawn sharp criticisms from some parts of the country, especially the north, which saw them as anti-growth in the region.

It also implored the government at all levels to prioritise the welfare and well-being of the citizens in 2025.

In its New Year message to Nigerians, especially workers, the President of NLC, Mr Joe Ajaero, equally said organised labour would step up its battle for an upward wage review for workers to mitigate the high costs of living.

The message, titled “In 2025, hope is in our collective resolve,’’ read: “As we step into the year 2025, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, extends warm New Year greetings to every worker and citizen across our great nation.

‘’The challenges of survival we have faced as a people must not hold us down. Instead, let us find inner strength to build a collective resolve to drive Nigeria out of the morass of underdevelopment that has held it captive for far too long.

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“No external power will deliver us from the scourge of economic hardship and stagnation. It is only through our collective effort and determination that we can propel our nation forward.

“We must build inner strength to find this collective resolve across the length and breadth of our great nation. This is our civic responsibility—one we must embrace with unwavering determination.
“We call on the government at all levels to ensure that governance translates into real benefits for the people. The welfare of the citizens remains the primary justification for the existence of any government.

“Access to food and nutrition, better healthcare, quality housing, education, transportation and greater security of lives and properties, including the right to participate in decisions on how they are ruled, are the key expectations of the people and workers.

“Policies must, therefore, reflect transparency, honesty, and inclusivity, devoid of chicanery, nepotism, and strong-arm tactics.

“To create a thriving, democratic nation, we need a system built on the tenets of social dialogue, allowing critical stakeholders to participate actively in nation-building. Such inclusiveness will foster deeper ownership of government policies, ensuring stability and sustainability.

“It is on this premise that we once again call on the federal government to withdraw its present tax bills before the National Assembly so that all key national stakeholders will be part of the process.
‘’As we embark on a national dialogue in Ibadan in January, 2025, we want to join hands in co-creating a new national tax law that would enjoy wider acceptance and fulfill its purpose of propelling national development which we believe is the main objective of government.

“As we move into 2025, we urge the federal government to prioritize industrial peace by taking social dialogue seriously, pursuing pro-human-progress policies, and respecting agreements with trade unions.

NLC insists on withdrawal of Tax Reform Bills

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Wike: Demolition of illegal buildings, shanties in FCT to continue

Published

1 hour ago

January 1, 2025

Trends Admin

Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike

Wike: Demolition of illegal buildings, shanties in FCT to continue

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike has vowed that he will continue his demolition of shanties, illegal buildings and enforcement of payment of ground rent in the territory in the new year without bothering about what anybody will say.

Speaking after he inspected the ongoing construction Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX), Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal and Saburi – Dei Dei road, in Abuja on Tuesday, Wike said he will not be distracted by the controversies that have trailed his ongoing demolition of structures in the FCT.

“Nothing distracts me. I am very focused,” Wike replied when asked by journalists whether the outcries over ongoing demolition and enforcement of ground rent may cause a huge distraction in 2025.

“Even if people are complaining, it is part of governance. You don’t expect that you will superintend over the affairs of people and then you satisfy everybody.

“People must complain, but I can tell you such complaints cannot distract us. I am very focused, and since it is part of our job, we will continue to do what is necessary.

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“Forget about what people say about demolition, demolition must go ahead. We demolish shanties, we demolish illegal buildings. It doesn’t matter what anybody will say.

“At the end of the day, they will still come back to say, ‘you did a good job.’

“So, don’t bother about what people say, be focused and at the end of the day, you will achieve results for a greater number of people, not for a few individuals,” Wike added.

The Minister however said the FCT Administration will do more for the residents of the capital city in 2025.

According to him, things will get better, God willing, for residents of FCT in the coming year.

“All we still require is the support of residents; of business owners, so that we can achieve more than what we have achieved in 2024.

“So, I pray that God Almighty will continue to protect us and give us better security as we experienced in 2024.

“Everybody can see, even within this festive period, security is quite intact, and we believe in 2025, we will get a better Abuja,” he said.

Wike: Demolition of illegal buildings, shanties in FCT to continue

metro

Police identify woman set on fire in deadly New York City attack

Published

2 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Trends Admin

It took authorities more than a week to identify the victim of the 22 December incident

Police identify woman set on fire in deadly New York City attack

Police in New York City have named a woman who was set on fire and burned to death last week on a subway train in Brooklyn.

Debrina Kawam, 57, of New Jersey, has been identified as the victim of the seemingly random 22 December attack that burned her body beyond recognition.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is accused of starting the blaze with a lighter while Ms Kawam was asleep. He allegedly fanned the flames with a shirt and then watched the fire grow from a bench outside the subway car.

Last week, a grand jury indicted Mr Zapeta, who claims to have no memory of the incident, on four counts of murder and one count of arson.

Julie Bolcer, a spokesperson for New York City’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner, said the death was ruled a homicide and caused by “thermal and inhalational injuries”. She made the identification public on Tuesday.

“The identity was confirmed by the medical examiner yesterday through fingerprint analysis, following a multi-agency effort with our partners in law enforcement,” she said.

It took authorities more than a week to identify Ms Kawam’s body.

At a press conference on Tuesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that Ms Kawam had recently spent time at a city homeless shelter.

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“It really reinforces what I’ve been saying, people should not be living on our subway system, they should be in a place of care. And no matter where she lived, that should not have happened,” he said.

Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn district attorney, said at a press conference early in the investigation that authorities had worked to collect DNA evidence and fingerprints from Ms Kawam’s remains.

“It’s a priority for me, for my office, for the police department to identify this woman, so we can notify her family,” Mr Gonzalez said.

False and unverified information about her, including a fake AI-generated picture, had circulated online in the aftermath of the attack.

There was also an outpouring of support, including a vigil held for the then-unidentified victim last week.

Police say that Ms Kawam was motionless, apparently asleep, on a stationary subway train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn early on 22 December when Mr Zapeta allegedly approached her with a lighter.

The pair never interacted, and police believe they did not know each other.

Jessica Tisch, New York’s police commissioner, said that the smell of smoke drew police officers and Metropolitan Transit Authority personnel to the fire and they extinguished the flames.

“Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car,” Ms Tisch said.

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Authorities declared Ms Kawam dead at the scene.

Ms Tisch described the incident as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being”.

In a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, prosecutor Ari Rottenberg said Mr Zapeta told investigators that he had been drinking and did not remember the incident, but did identify himself in photos and surveillance video showing the fire being lit.

The suspect, who is originally from Guatemala, was deported from the US in 2018 and later re-entered the country illegally, immigration authorities said.

He is due back in court on 7 January, prosecutors said.

Despite a decline in crime rates on New York City’s subway, the incident is one of a string of attacks that has raised concerns for riders on America’s largest mass transit system.

The subway safety issue arose again on Tuesday afternoon when someone was pushed on to the tracks in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood in front of an oncoming subway, according to New York City police.

The unidentified male victim was admitted to hospital with a head injury, authorities said. Police later detained a suspect, according to local media.