…Police deny abductions
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers Thursday hijacked a 18-seater passengers commercial bus in Ibarapa geo-political zone of Oyo State.
It was learnt that the bus was hijacked along the Igboora/Eruwa road.
It was gathered that the bus which was heading to Eruwa had all the passengers kidnapped by the gunmen.
It was further learnt that the abductors hijacked the vehicle and took all the passengers to an unknown destination.
A source who is a family member of one of the victims, said the gunmen have demanded the sum of N10 million for the release of each of the victims.
He said, “Yes, 18 people were kidnapped this morning. Seven persons yesterday and 18 today.”
Another source while speaking on the development, said the kidnappers had continued to have their way despite heavy security presence in the zone, confirming that seven people were also kidnapped around 5.pm on Wednesday.
“The rate of kidnappings in ibarapa in the last few weeks have become worrisome. Yesterday at 5.00pm, 7 persons who were on their way to Eruwa had their vehicle stopped on the bridge and were whisked away into the kidnapper’s vehicle. This has taken a new dimension. I am greatly disturbed.
“The police are back on the road extorting money from drivers. With their presence nothing has changed. Should we say their presence has brought the resurgence of kidnappings in the region.
“They were busy extorting money which is very important to them, while kidnappers are free to do their nefarious act.God dey
“Two weeks ago, 2 students were kidnapped. The parents paid 1.2M before their release. The commercial vehicle conveying the students was stopped midway. The poor state of the road has added injury to the scenario. Where do we go from here”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Police Command in Oyo State has debunked the reported kidnapping of 18 passengers along Igboora-Eruwa area of the state on Thursday morning.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Onadeko, however, refuted the report on Thursday at the command’s headquarters at Eleyele, Ibadan..
Onadeko said when the command got the news of the kidnapping, it made efforts to check its authenticity and discovered that nothing of such happened.
“I will enjoin people to desist from carrying baseless rumours that will create fear in the society.
“Oyo State Command will continue working hard to make sure that lives and property are secure.
“People should give us credible information that will enable us nip crime and criminality in the bud in the state,” she said.
Onadeko, however, said she believed that the parade of the suspects would send a warning signal to criminals and would help to reduce crime in the state.
