…Police, Hunters, Vigilante Rescue Seven
By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
The Police in Kwara State have commenced intense rescue efforts of two persons kidnapped at two different locations in the state at the weekend.
They were earlier reported to have been kidnapped in Olla and Sosoki respectfully in Isin and Asa local government areas on Saturday morning.
One Onijala Adegbola, a 56-year old man, who is one of the triplet children of an old Reverend Onijala of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, in Olla was reported to have been abducted on his way back from the farm.
He was said to be forcefully abducted by six armed men, who forced him into the bush and he is yet to be located, as efforts to search for him in the bush were said to have commenced at the time of this report on Sunday.
Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ajayi Okasanmi, SP, in a statement, confirmed the incident, pointing out that the case was reported at Oke Onigbin Divisional Police Station in Isin Local Government.
According to him, efforts by a combined team of police men, vigilante and hunters were “still ongoing to liberate the victim and possibly arrest the abductors.”
Okasanmi said; “An information was received by the Police in Oke Onigbin Police Divisional headquarters about the abduction of one Onijala Adegboja, ‘m,’ aged 56 years on his way back from his farm by six armed men and was led into the bush by the kidnappers.”
Similarly, he said seven armed men in the same fashion “speaking different Nigerian languages, stormed one Lafrcdeen Pure Water factory in Sosoki village, via Alapa as reported to the police by one Hadi Balogun ‘m,’ the manager of the factory and kidnapped eight workers of the factory, including the owner, one Fatima Nurudeen, ‘f,’ and disappeared into the bush.”
He disclosed that the Kwara State Police Tactical Team was inmmediately ordered by the state Commissioner of Police, CP, Tuesday Assayomo, in conjunction with the local hunters and vigilante groups to enter the bush in the area to rescue the victims and arrest the hoodlums.
The efforts he said however paid off when seven of the eight kidnapoed persons were however rescued except the owner; Fatimah Nurudeen, promising though that the command was getting close to rescueing her.
He counselled citizens of Kwara State “to always be conscious of who they share vital information about their movements with, and to be security conscious at all times, especially at this period when the year is running to an end.
He said, “Everybody, including the good and the bad ones would want to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their pockets filled with money, even as they have no explainable means of livelihood.
“The Command will not relent in her commitments in ensuring that the good people of Kwara sleeps with their two eyes closed at night, and also ensure that peace and safety of the people before, during and after the yuletide is guaranteed.”
