Standup9ja: Kidnappers abduct 20 on Abuja-Kaduna road
Buhari Appoints New Service Chiefs
About 20 people were abducted by gunmen along Abuja- Kaduna
expressway on Wednesday.
Those abducted were on their way to Kaduna when they were
forced to stop at about12: 30pm, Standup9ja heard.
The armed men ordered the travellers to come down from their
vehicles and herded them into the bush near Akilibu village.
A relation of one of the victims told Standup9ja that the
news of the abduction was brought to them by a driver who escaped from the
gunmen.
He said about eight vehicles were stopped and all the
passengers and the drivers were asked to disembark and ordered to walk into the
bush.
He said the kidnappers were yet to establish contact with
the families of the abductees. “The driver said they were stopping vehicles as
they were coming from Abuja in what appeared like an armed robbery operation.
“He told us it was after they stopped that they realised the
passengers of the vehicles ahead of them were not in their cars,” the relation
was quoted to have said.
The source said the gun men were up to 30 in number.
The driver, the source said, was able to escape after he
pleaded to be allowed to take a rest from one-hour journey in the bush.
The abductors agreed due to his age and his health condition
but asked one of their men to stay with him until he was able to catch his
breath.
He said when the
kidnappers had walked some distance and were out of sight the man
watching over him decided to track them so he could be sure of the route they were taking.
The driver said it was then
that he decided to run away but that no one pursued
him.
“When he got to the
express way, he found his car with the others where they left them with the
keys in ignition holes.
“He returned to Abuja and then alerted the relatives of the
four of the kidnapped persons about what happened.”
The family source confirmed that the kidnappers are yet to
contact the family but said they had
reported the matter to the police.
A statement from one of the family members, Danjuma Bello
Sarki, gave the names of four of the persons abducted as Kazah Bulus (Kazzy), El-hajj Idrees Goga, Simon Terna and Al-Amin.
He said, “Up till now
no news about them yet. This incident is one too many. More than 40 people in a
span of two weeks. The Kidnappers are becoming emboldened day by day.
“It is so sad and scary that the Abuja-Kaduna road which is
the major gate way to Abuja from the North West states of Nigeria has become a
den of Kidnappers.
“Nigerians plying that road have become so helpless and at
the mercy of God. Please let’s put them,
Kaduna State and Nigeria in prayers for God to help us put an end to this
avoidable menace.”
The police public relations officer ASP Usman Aliyu when
contacted said a formal report was yet to be made on the incident but that the
police would begin the process of
investigation.
Reps summon NSA, ministers, service chiefs
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday summoned
the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd), the
minister of defence, Brig Gen Mansur Dan-Ali (rtd) and that of interior, Lt.
Gen Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) over the spate of kidnappings in the country.
Also summoned are all service chiefs and the Inspector
General of Police, Ibrahim Idris. They are to brief the House on why the
kidnappings have been going on unabated and the measures being taken to end
them.
Adopting a motion by Minority Whip, Yakubu Barde (PDP,
Kaduna), the House said kidnappings in many parts of the country, especially
Kaduna State, in recent time has reached an alarming stage.
Only last week, a member of the House from Kano State, Garba
Umar Durbunde, was kidnapped about 50 kilometres to Kaduna from Abuja on his
way to Kano. There were reports that several other people were kidnapped within
the last one week.
In his motion, Barde said despite government’s efforts to
tackle the menace, “the spate of kidnapping incidents is still on the rise and
has even become a daily occurrence in most parts of the country.”
He said in his Chikun/Kajuru constituency the activities of
the kidnappers have impacted adversely on the socioeconomic lives of the people
as they can no longer move freely to transact their legitimate businesses for
fear of being kidnapped.
No comments:
Post a Comment