There are concerns at present in Kwara State over the latest rising trend in kidnap activities.
While top security brass, who visited recently, described the state as one of the most peaceful in the country, the menace of kidnapping for ransom has continued to threaten that slogan.
Daily Trust reports that there has been a spike in the frequency of abductions by gunmen lately which has led to the death of several persons and payment of several millions of naira in ransom.
However, it appears the perpetrators are becoming more daring if the incident that occurred about two weeks ago at Okanle, near Idofian, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, is anything to go by.
According to the report, suspected gunmen stormed the area around 11:00 pm on a Thursday and whisked away a newly-wedded wife, Mrs Rukayat Musa, and her two teenage sisters in-law, Hafsat and Aliya.
During the incident, her husband, Musa, escaped after the abductors had gained entrance to their rented apartment.
The kidnappers thereafter gave the family an ultimatum to pay a ransom of N100 million on the weekend, failure of which they threatened to kill the victims.
They reportedly regained their freedom after the payment of N7 million ransom.
While Rukayat and the two other victims are alive to tell their stories, the reverse is the case for a nursing mother, Kehinde Jubril, popularly known as Iya Yusuf.
She was kidnapped when suspected gunmen invaded her residence at Oketu, Ago-Oja community in Asa Local Government Area.
Despite collecting ransom twice from her family, her abductors held on to her and kept demanding for more until they later dumped her lifeless body inside the forest, which was later found.
Iya Yusuf’s abductors also kidnapped a student of Kwara State Polytechnic from his house at Abiye area in Asa during the daring attack. The student later died at the hospital from injuries sustained after he had initially resisted them despite payment of N400,000 ransom.
Speaking on the issue, the Baale of Ago-Oja, Malam Daudu Salaudeen Arolu, said it was a harrowing experience for the community.
“They have collected ransom twice now but refused to release Iya Yusuf. We initially paid N1.2 million; they said the N200,000 was for provisions.
“We were told to bring the money to Asapa, along Afon road, but they did not release her as promised after collecting the money. Five days later, they called to demand N1.5m and told us to bring it to Eyenkorin.
“On our way, they said we should rather come to Ogbomosho. We gave them the money but they ordered us to leave; that they would take her to where she was kidnapped.
“But it was her lifeless body we later saw that was already decomposing in the bush. Her four months old daughter is with the husband’s second wife at Laduba,” he said.
Last month, in Isin Local Government Area, some gunmen stormed Iwo community, killing a local chief and abducting three persons in the process. Sources said the suspected kidnappers attacked a filling station at Sabaja area of the town at about 9pm Friday and abducted the manager.
A security guard of the station and cleric of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) said to be the chairman of CAN in the council were also abducted.
Chairman of the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) of the council, Engr Tunde Fadipe, identified the local chief as Raphael Adewuyi who was killed by a stray bullet in his room during the incident. Several days later, nothing has been heard about the victims.
Another local chief was also killed with many travellers said to be missing during an invasion of another community in Isin.
The suspects, it was gathered, stormed Ijara/Isin road and abducted some travellers, killing another local chief, Toyin Adeyemi, who hails from Pamo, in Isin community.
A relative said the deceased was sick and went to buy some drugs with his motorcycle only to be ambushed by the kidnappers who also attacked other travellers.
A message sent to the community WhatsApp forum warned “residents and indigenes to avoid travelling between the Ijara/Isanlu Isin road.
The police also confirmed the incident.
In Alapa, Asa Local Government Area, the gunmen also struck and abducted a mother and her child. The abductors however lost one of their members during a gun battle with the local vigilantes and hunters.
Speaking on the incident, the chairman of vigilantes in Kwara, Saka Ibrahim, told our correspondent that, “We later caught up with them at a forest in Ajuwon, Temidire community of Asa Local Government Area. One was killed during a gun duel. Two members of our vigilantes who sustained bullet wounds during the process are being treated at a local hospital,” Ibrahim said. The police also confirmed the incident.
In another development around Aboto, in Asa, vigilantes and local hunters rescued victims after a fierce gun battle inside the forest.
The victims, including a vigilante identified as Muiz Isiaka, were kidnapped while he (Muiz) was going to see off his in-laws who attended a naming ceremony.
The abductors reportedly ambushed his vehicle and whisked them into a nearby bush.
Chairman of the vigilante, Saka Ibrahim, while speaking with Daily Trust said, “The victims were released after an exchange of gunfire between the vigilante and local hunters around 2:00 am.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi (SP), who confirmed the incident said one of the kidnappers who was arrested has been identified by one of the victims.
We no longer have access to our farms, markets – Lawmaker
The immediate past lawmaker who represented Afon, Asa Local Government Area in the Kwara State House of Assembly; Hon. Aliyu Wahab Opakunle, expressed a grave concern on the rate of insecurity in parts of Asa.
Opakunle described the development as unfortunate.
He said he had intended to go into large scale farming following his retirement from the House.
“But I cannot go home now. I am crying and bleeding within myself because of the security situation in Ila-Oja/Aboto/Odo-Ode ward of Afon.
“That is where these criminals are operating and it has badly affected our social economic activity. Our market has been paralysed and farmers cannot go to farms. It is very unfortunate.
“This matter needs urgent intervention and we earnestly seek government assistance in bringing the situation to normal,” he added.
Police comb forest
Worried by the situation, the immediate past Commissioner of Police, Paul Odama, had led men of the command’s tactical team units to comb some forests in Boriya and Gure communities of Baruten Local Government Area of the state.
The PPRO, Ajayi Okasanmi, said the decision by the CP to lead a police team to the forests was to “pursue criminal elements hibernating in those places who have been terrorising the people”.
Okasanmi told our correspondent on Tuesday that the situation is a bit “concerning but we are not relenting.
“Actually there was a little spike in kidnapping activities in the last few weeks in some parts of Kwara South especially around Isin and Asa. The situation had reduced before the recent upsurge.
“I cannot disclose to you now our plans ahead which I know will drastically reduce the incidents in the coming days ahead.
“I will advise the people of the affected communities to be extra careful because our investigations have shown that there are some locals who are conniving with the perpetrators. But we have deployed our men to those places.”
He attributed the rise in Kwara South and parts of Asa in Kwara Central to the boundaries and long stretch of bushes that led to places like Kogi, Ekiti and other neighbouring states.
“This makes it easy for the kidnappers to abduct their victims and dash into the nearby forest. That is why we are working very closely with vigilantes and local hunters who are very familiar with the terrain and I can assure you that we are getting results,” he added.
The chairman of the vigilantes in Ekiti Local Government Area, Shina Abiodun, another worrisome corridor, told Daily Trust on Tuesday that the situation is really perturbing.
“The situation lately has assumed another level but we are appealing to the government to assist us.
“Now in my local government, our men are only getting N7,000 per month from which we fuel our motorcycles and yet they work with their hearts and all that they have.
“We started recording an increase in kidnap cases after the massive relocation of some Bororo to the area who were aided by some indigenes.”
A former national president of the Ilọrin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Ambassador Sheikh Uthman Abdulazeez, said the problem of insecurity is across the country.
“You cannot give what you don’t have. I know that the total number of policemen in Kwara State is not up to 4,000. How do you want them to police the state effectively?
“Communities must take the bull by the horn which is very paramount, instead of waiting for the government all the time. That is why IEDPU has come up with some measures to work with local governments to improve the situation.
“However, it will be something of the past very soon because the government and community leaders are working round the clock to see that the problem is arrested,” he said.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communication, Mrs Christiana Ashonibare, were not successful.
She did not answer several calls or reply to a text message sent to her on the issue before the filing of this report, Tuesday evening.
However, Daily Trust reports that the government recently purchased and distributed some Hilux vans equipped with communication gadgets for security agencies.
