- LG administrator imposes curfew on Okene
Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja
Six passengers traveling from Abuja to Onitsha have been kidnapped in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State. THISDAY reliably gathered that the incident happened at Achoze village in Okene at about 6.30 a.m. tuesday.
According to the source, the passengers were on their way to Onitsha from Abuja when 10 fully armed men blocked their vehicle at Achoze village in Okene and forced all the occupants from the vehicle out.
It was also gathered that the driver of the vehicle abandoned the passengers and ran into the bush for safety while the kidnappers shoot sporadically into the air to scare other vehicles away.
One of the passengers (name withheld for security reason), who spoke to THISDAY, said it was by the grace of God that she escaped from the kidnappers.
According to her, the kidnappers marched six of the passengers into the bush while some of them took the advantage to escape into the bush. The female passenger further disclosed that some passengers in that vehicle sustained minor injury in an attempt to escape from the kidnappers, adding that after the incident, they reported the case to the Police in Okene.
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relation Officer of the state Police Command, Mr. Williams Ayah, confirmed the kidnapping to journalists. According to him, the passengers were traveling from Abuja to Onitsha at about 6.30 a.m. yesterday when they were abducted.
He said the police are already out to save the passengers as more armed policemen have been drafted to Kogi Central for operation.
However, the Administrator of Okene council area, Mallam Absurazaq Muhammad, has announced a dusk to dawn curfew.
The administrator in a statement issued and signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mallam Abdumumini Abubakar, stated that the public, especially residents and businessmen, should note that in view of the increased wave of killings and kidnapping in the area, security arrangements has been put in place including restrictions of commercial motorcycles operations between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily.
