ALABA TRADERS ARRESTED FOR KIDNAPPING

The Lagos State Police Command says it has smashed a kidnapping syndicate in the Okokomaiko area of the state.

Police authorities gave the names of the suspects as, Azuoma Nwabugoh, Chimobi Onuoha, Moses Okoh, Nwachukwu Nwandike and Michael Arinze.

It was learnt that the suspects were arrested after policemen attached to Ilemba Hausa Division recovered a vehicle belonging to a kidnap victim, Obinna Okpara.

It was learnt that after kidnapping the victim, the suspects allegedly sold the car to one Michael Arinze. Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said that Arinze led police to the kidnappers.

She said, "On August 8, 2013, around 8.45pm, one Obinna Okpara was kidnapped in front of his house at Awka, Anambra State. He was released on September 9, 2013 after a ransom was paid.

"His vehicle was, however, traced to the house of one Michael Arinze at Etegbin Road, Ajangbadi, Lagos. Upon interrogation, Arinze said he bought the vehicle from one of the suspects.

"He said the vehicle, a black Toyota RAV4 with registration number, ABN 42 AA, was sold to him for N800,000, adding that he paid N50,000 as down payment."

"The Divisional Police Officer, Ilemba Hausa, SP Ekpashere Ibe, sent his men to the houses of each of the suspects, who are all residing in the Okokomaiko area."

The suspects, it was learnt, had been transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja. The victim, however said he was locked and blindfolded in a toilet for over a week. He said the suspects kidnapped him in Anambra State and released him in Enugu State after paying N2.5m ransom.

He said, "Around 7.45pm on August 26, 2013, some men with guns blocked my vehicle and started shooting into the air.

"They drove me to a building and locked me inside the toilet after which they blindfolded me. Two days after my arrival, a female victim was brought into the toilet where I was.

"Unfortunately, the woman was on her menstrual cycle and she spilled blood all over the floor. The kidnappers fed me with rice once a day and gave me one sachet water."

The victim said after some days, the woman's family was able to pay a ransom and she was released. He said he remained in the kidnapper's den for extra days.

"My family was instructed to place the ransom in a bush and I was released but my vehicle was not returned to me. When I came out, I realised that I was in Enugu State," he added.

The alleged leader of the kidnappers, Nwabugo, denied participating in the crime. Nwabugoh said he did not know the victim and pleaded with the police to allow him go back to his three children and pregnant wife.

He said, "All these allegations against me are false. I don't know the victim. I am a trader at Alaba Market and most of the suspects you see are my apprentices."

Another suspect, Onuoha, owned up to the crime, adding that it was him and Nwabugoh that executed the kidnapping. He said he was given only N30, 000 from the operation.

He said, "My boss (Nwabugoh) brought the guns and we went to kidnap the victim. My boss drove the man to an undisclosed place in the man's jeep while I followed in another car.

"It was when my boss returned to Lagos that he gave me the victim's vehicle to sell to Arinze. Arinze gave me N50,000 and I handed it over to my boss. My boss then gave me N30, 000."

The remaining suspects said they did not know anything about the crime, adding that they were apprentices.

GUNMEN MACHETE MONARCH, KIDNAP WIFE IN ENUGU

Wife of the traditional ruler of Abba - Igogoro in Igbo Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Omale Nwogbo, Adiza, has been kidnapped by unknown persons who invaded her home last week.

The woman was kidnapped few days after some armed men invaded the palace and inflicted machete cuts on her husband before shooting at three other persons with him in his palace at about 8pm.

According to police sources, the traditional ruler was meeting with some people in his Igogoro palace when the gunmen struck and reportedly shot one Joshua Urama at the back while Igwe Ogbo himself, Emmanuel Tobechukwu Idoko and Sunday Ogbo sustained injuries on their heads and faces. Igwe Ogbo was said to have been reportedly given three machete cuts on his head.

The attack took place at a time members of the ruling People's Democratic Party, PDP, in the local government were holding the Ward Congress at Enugu Ezike to elect delegates for last Saturday's local government congress to elect chairmanship candidates for the local government election slated later in the year.

Igwe Nwogbo and the other victims who sustained serious bullet wounds, were later rushed to the Bishop Shanahan Hospital Annex in Enugu Ezike, the council headquarters for urgent medical attention.

However, Adiza, 85, was abducted by some people who reportedly claimed to have come from the neighbouring Isugwu community, exactly four days after her husband was attacked in his palace.

The police were still trying the unravel the reasons behind the attack on Igwe Ogbo when his wife was abducted.

Adiza's son and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters in the state, Prince Goddy Ogbo confirmed in a telephone interview with Saturday Vanguard yesterday that his aged mother was abducted by unknown persons who invaded his father's palace on motorcycles.

According to him, his old mother was forcefully taken away on one of the motorcycles as she shouted, "blood of Jesus; blood of Jesus about two weeks ago."

The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in EnuguState, Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the incident yesterday, but stressed that he had no details of Adiza's abduction, even as Prince Ogbo said that his family had not established any contacts with the abductors since the incident.

HOW POLICE INSPECTOR'S BUSINESS OF SELLING SEIZED OKADAS BUSTED

 A Police Inspector attached to B-OPS of Traffic Department, Ikeja, Lagos, was detained in a cell at Ikeja Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for allegedly selling a large number of seized commercial motorcycles (Okada) for N10,000 and N20,000 each.

The suspect, identified as Michael Oguche, originates from Benue State. He was the master-mind of the illegal business.

According to police sources of P.M.News, the owners of the seized motorcycles saw their impounded motorcycles being used by other riders recently at Ikeja areas of the city.

When the new owners were questioned about how they got the motorcycles, the buyers said they bought the motorcycles from a police Inspector working at the Ikeja Command.

The angry owners of the motorcycles stormed Lagos State Police Command to lodge complaints.

This led to arrest of Michael Oguche on September 19, 2013, Thursday. The suspect allegedly made a confessional statement that he was actually sold some of the seized motorcycles.

The suspect was said to have used the money he made from selling the motorcycles to buy a van two months ago.

It has been learnt that the suspect had customers in other states, where he sold a number of seized motorcycles.

It would be noted that the police impounded thousands of motorcycles following the implementation of the new Lagos traffic law since last year. An aspect of the traffic law restricts commercial motorcycles from plying major roads in the state. The police routinely impound motorcycles from riders who flout the law.

24-HOUR CURFEW IMPOSED IN SOUTHERN KADUNA AS SCORES KILLED IN ETHNIC CLASHES

The Kaduna State Government has declared a 24-hour curfew in Kafanchan, following bloody fighting between ethnic indigene groups in Southern Kaduna and settler elements of Hausa-Fulani dwelling in the area.

A security source of SaharaReporters told by telephone that at least five persons were killed in the fighting.

The bloody clash was also confirmed by an elderly Yoruba resident of Kafanchan, an otherwise quiescent town that used to be known as a railway hub. The man said the assaults flared up again on September 19, 2013, Thursday, after armed soldiers had earlier quelled a skirmish last Sunday.

The security operative disclosed that indigenes of Southern Kaduna and Hausa-Fulani youths engaged in a free-for-all fight using machetes, spears and a few guns. Apart from the dead, many people also sustained varying degrees of injury.

The source said, "I can confirm to you that attacks started yesterday between the indigenes and settlers. And several people were killed before [the] government declared 24 hours curfew today. As we speak, we are in the streets patrolling and all residents are now indoors."

The security agent said yesterday's attack appeared to be reprisals for the death of a young man who was killed last Sunday.

It was not possible to receive the confirmation from Mr. Olufemi Adenaike, the Police Commissioner of Kaduna State. However, a police officer in Kaduna said the commissioner and military authorities in Kaduna had deployed troops to the trouble areas to beef up security and contain any threats that might escalate attacks.