metro
We trekked for hours, ate like slaves – UNIABUJA kidnap victims
Some of the people abducted at the University of Abuja Senior Staff Quarters and rescued by the police have recounted their ordeals in the kidnappers’ den.
According to them, on the first day, they drank garri with dirty water, while on the second day they were given leftover food.
They said they trekked for hours and were moved around different areas.
Gunmen had abducted six persons, including two professors, a deputy registrar and three family members, during an early hour raid on the university’s staff quarters last Tuesday.
The hoodlums had demanded N300m for their release before the police rescued the victims on Friday.
Narrating his ordeal to PUNCH Metro on Saturday, a victim, Professor Joseph Obansa, said he never imagined he would go through what he suffered in the hands of his abductors.
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He said, “They made us walk over a long stretch, day and night, and when it’s day time, they blindfolded us. On the first day, they fed us with garri with unclean water.
“The second day, they harvested yams from people’s farms and roasted them. They gave us the yam to eat after they finished eating. We were fed like slaves.
“There was a time when I couldn’t move again after trekking for a long time. They kicked and threatened to waste me if I didn’t stand up. My son had to help me up. It was a very terrible experience; I never trekked continuously for that long in my life.”
He noted that the abductors called for a swap after some of them (kidnappers) were arrested.
Obansa said, “They foresaw getting a ransom from us was not feasible. They said they were not interested in the ransom again. They said if they released their friends, they would release us or they would kill us. They freed us around 2am on Friday.”
Joseph’s son, John, said he lost hope after the hoodlums demanded a huge ransom.
He said he was happy he went with his father into the forest, adding that he (John) carried him (Joseph) after he was exhausted and the kidnappers threatened to kill him.
“I thought the police had abandoned us, but they made some moves which eventually paid off,” he added.
Another victim, Sambo Mohammed, said he could not confirm if a swap was made by the police, but he overheard when negotiations were on.
He said, “I speak Hausa language well; it gave me the opportunity to interact and I became close to them. For this particular operation that they undertook, there were some people that sponsored and led them to this place.
“They don’t stay in a place; they pushed them from Kaduna and Zamfara states. Because there is no network, they decided to come to this area where network is available.
“They are not from here. I can confirm that, they even told us that they would move us to Zamfara if they did not get their ransom.”
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Josephine Adeh, said neither was a swap made nor ransom paid to rescue the victims.
She said, “The victims were rescued through the joint efforts of all security operatives in FCT. We engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel and arrested
Punch
metro
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has disclosed that about 200,000 repentant terrorists have so far dropped their arms and surrendered to troops in the North East, noting that the twin strategy of kinetic and non-kinetic operations was responsible for this achievement.
The CDS made this known at the Security and Justice Symposium organised by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the British High Commission, which began at the National Counterterrorism Centre in Abuja on Tuesday.
He disclosed that the theme of the symposium, ”Securing Peace, Ensuring Justice, Protection, Conduct, and Accountability,” speaks volumes about the deluge of security challenges the armed forces and security agencies are facing.
His words, “All the challenges we are facing today have to do with fairness, equity, justice, and accountability.
“There will not be peace without justice, equity, fairness, and accountability. In our operations, we are conducting both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies, which have to a large extent yielded significant successes, and we want to particularly thank the National Security Adviser for his great support in this regard.
“Nigeria is going through so many challenges, and we feel we’re able to address this, and everybody has a sense of belonging. A lot of the security challenges we are having, we are sure, will go down. I want to thank the National Security Advisor for all the support he’s given us, both the kinetic and the non-kinetic.
“We have said it; the kinetic aspect is just less than 30%. The non-kinetic has a lot to play. The non-kinetic, because when you have democracy, people must have the evidence of democracy. As long as it tells people to sleep well and be peaceful, and they are hungry, their children cannot eat, and all this creates more problems.
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“The issue of informants. We have to look at how we tackle this issue of informants. Because these are the people who have created the issue.
200,000 repentant terrorists surrender, drop arms in North East – CDS
metro
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
The spokesperson for the police in Delta State, SP Bright Edafe, has confirmed the death of two robbery suspects in the state.
Mr Edafe, who disclosed this to journalists on Tuesday in Warri, said that the deceased were killed from the bullets shot by their gang members.
According to him, the incident occurred on Wednesday at Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.
Mr Edafe explained that the deceased were leading the police surveillance team attached to the Ekpan Division to their hideout when they were caught during a shoot-out.
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“The suspects were arrested at Effurun roundabout with a bag containing 57 live cartridges and other items. They were leading the surveillance team to their hideout at Warri/Sapele road when their gang members, on sighting the vehicle of the police team, engaged them in a shootout.During the gun duel, the arrested suspects that were leading the police team were fatally wounded by the gun shot of their colleagues. The two injured suspects were taken to the hospital and later died while receiving treatment,” he said.
Mr Edafe said that items recovered from the hoodlums hideout included: one English pump action gun, one locally made cut-to-size gun and eight live cartridges.
Others were: six iPhones, Smart phones and a Rolex wrist watch.
He said that the command had intensified manhunt on the fleeing members of the gang.
Robbers kill two members in shoot-out with Delta police
(NAN)
metro
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