Armed Bandits Kidnap Lagos-Bound Passengers in Kogi State
- The frightening insecurity on Nigeria's major highways has gone from bad to worse in recent times
- Kogi state is one of the dreaded places to travel through as criminal gangs often waylay passengers on the road
- A recent incident indicates that the bandits may have relocated from Zamfara to the north-central state
Kabba - Seven passengers on board Benue state-owned transport vehicle, Benue Links have been kidnapped by armed bandits.
Daily Trust newspaper reports that the captors have opened talks with families of their victims while demanding N5 million each on a pastor and his son.
Source: Facebook
Narrating the latest incident, the wife of the abducted pastor, Hannah Orhena, said her husband and son alongside five others were taken into captivity on Tuesday, March 29 about 3 pm around the Kabba area in Kogi state.
She said:
Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through info@corp.legit.ng!
“The abductors called me Thursday night between 10 pm and 11 pm and demanded N5m but I negotiated for N500,000 they refused and asked me to get someone who could speak Hausa. My husband and son spoke to me.”
Benue Links management reacts to kidnapping incident
When contacted by The Punch newspaper, the General Manager of the Benue Links, Ugela Monica, said there was no publicity when bandits hijacked a train recently and wondered why journalists wanted to write a news report about her company.
Her words:
“I am not aware of the abduction of our passengers. When it happened on a train and others in another place, you people did not make news; it is when it happens to Benue Links that you want to make news out of it.”
On Twitter, one Sesugh Tommy tweeted that his friend is one of those kidnapped on the bus.
He wrote while sharing her picture:
“Naomi and five others were kidnapped at Kogi Kabba road Kogi state! They were traveling from Makurdi to Lagos in a Benue links bus! Up till now, their whereabouts is still unknown and no action taken!”
Insecurity: Senator Ndume accuses federal government of incompetence
Meanwhile, the lawmaker representing Borno South senatorial district, Ali Ndume, has accused the federal government of complacency in Nigeria's eroding security system.
Ndume alleged that the Nigerian government has not done well in handling the security challenges across the country.
The senator lamented that the process of getting tasks delivered and securing people's lives has become frustrating in the country.
Insecurity: Bombard terrorist enclaves, Senate tells Nigerian military
In a related development, the Nigerian military has been urged to declare a full-scale war on terrorists operating across states of the country.
The call was made by lawmakers of the Nigerian Senate after the attack on an Abuja-Kaduna-bound train on Monday, March 28.
According to the Senate, the operations of the terrorists in Kaduna makes it imperative for the appropriate authorities to take decisive action.
Source: Legit.ng
