…says development scary
SOJI AJIBOLA, Ibadan
Nigerian Union of Journalists has described as scary, the abduction of 18 persons traveling to Eruwa, Igboora and adjoining communities in Oyo State, early hours of Thursday morning.
An 18-seater bus conveying the victims, FristNews reported, was waylaid some kilometres away from Eruwa by the suspected kidnappers.
The passengers were forced to disembark from the vehicle at gunpoint while the bus in which they were traveling was abandoned at the roadside.
There was no record of loss of lives, even though the suspected kidnappers fired several shots into the air before whisking away the victims to an unknown destination.
In its response, NUJ in the state, in a statement on Thursday signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Ademola Babalola and Sola Oladapo respectively urged the State Police Commissioner, Ngozi Onadeko to relocate to the troubled area in order to restore sanity and confidence for Ibarapa residents.
The NUJ recalled that similar developments were witnessed in the area for better part of year 2019, 2020 and heightened recently, a development that had aggravated the tense security situation in the area.
According to the Union, “that this madness continues unabated despite assurances of the security agents, leaves sour taste in the mouth.
“A report says 18 people were kidnapped this (Thursday) morning, while another claimed seven persons were abducted on Wednesday. All these call for great concern and serious investigation by a delegation of high-powered police hierarchy, hence the need for the CP to take up the challenge.
“We are alarmed by this ugly development and therefore calls on all stakeholders in the security circle including the Chief Security Officer of the State, Governor Seyi Makinde to immediately deploy all powers at their disposal to rescue the victims unhurt and bring the perpetrators to book,” the release added.