Gunmen Abduct Nursing Mother, Several Others In Kwara

 

Suspected armed kidnappers have abducted a nursing mother identified as Kehinde Ikeanabi Jibril in Kwara State.

They, however, spared and dropped her four-month old child with the elder children.

The incident occurred at Oketu area of Ago-Oja town in Asa Local Government Area of the state about 30minutes drive from Ilorin, the state capital.

Report indicated that the nursing mother was abducted at about 1am, at her husband’s residence located along Alhaji Isiaka Oloye Jagun Street just two days to the Eid-el-fitr festivities on Friday.

The main target of the kidnappers was the abducted nursing mother’s husband, said to be a cattle dealer and a top official of a cooperative society in the town.

The kidnappers reportedly demanded N10m for the release of the abducted woman whose whereabouts was unknown on Thursday when our correspondent visited the town.

Speaking on the incident, the community leader, Baale of Ago-Oja, Malam Daudu Salaudeen Arolu, lamented the rate of kidnap incidents in the area in recent times, describing the development as unfortunate and frightening.

He disclosed that on the fateful day the nursing mother was abducted, another victim said to be a student of the Kwara state Polytechnic was also abducted in an attack at his abode in the town.

Daudu said the boy was seriously injured when he confronted the armed kidnappers who shot sporadically at his Abiye residence in Ago-Oja, before he was carried away to an unknown destination.

The distraught community leader said the boy eventually later died in the hospital as a result of the injuries sustained in the attack even as the kidnappers had collected N400,000 ransom before his release.

The Baale further disclosed that days before the abduction of the nursing mother and the late student, one person was earlier kidnapped on Good Friday eve, but was rescued later after payment of N2.8m out of the N3m ransom demanded.

He said vigilant groups and policemen were mobilised to carry out the rescue operation after the release of the victim who was also injured while in captivity.

Daudu confirmed that a team of security personnel, including soldiers also visited the town on Wednesday this week in connection with the incident.

The Baale said although security had been beefed up in the town in collaboration with vigilant groups, the state government urgently needed to come to the rescue of the people as their lives were no longer safe.

According to the community leader, there is no police post along the stretch of the road from Ogbondoroko, Ago-Oja, Laduba to Afon town, the capital of Asa Local Government.

He said, “There is no police post in our area except in Afon town.”

DAILY POST reports that only recently, the Magaji Erubu, Dr Erubu, was abducted by armed kidnappers at his farm in Ago-Oja and was later released after spending days in their captivity.

Also speaking on the menace of kidnappers in the area, the Alangua of Laduba, Mohammed Saidu, said the people of his community now lived in fear.

Laduba town is the neighbouring community sharing boundary with Ago-Oja in the area

Mohammed said they have also stepped up security measures to safeguard the lives and property of the people in the area.

He further appealed to the state government to provide security for the people described as an agrarian community to mitigate threat to food insecurity.