In a video shared on social media, she claimed she had been missing since her last post in August 2025, during which period she was taken against her will and confined for several weeks.

Appearing visibly slimmer and dishevelled, she attributed her condition to the ordeal, stating that she was often deprived of food and kept under strict confinement.

According to her account, the incident began when she travelled to Togo to visit family and was allegedly lured by an uncle under the pretext of undergoing a spiritual initiation known as “AFA.” She claimed the situation quickly turned sinister after she was taken to multiple locations and eventually locked in a gated facility.

Joyce Dzidzor Mensah further alleged that she was held in a small room under harsh conditions and witnessed activities she described as ritualistic, involving individuals seeking spiritual or financial assistance.

She said she later managed to escape what she described as a life-threatening ordeal, with the help of a “man of God.”

The former ambassador indicated that she has reported the matter to the Togolese Police and has secured copies of documents she claims are official reports. She noted that the suspect at the centre of the allegations has reportedly evaded arrest on two occasions.

Describing the incident as a human rights issue, Joyce Dzidzor Mensah said she is considering escalating the matter internationally if justice is not served.

She also appealed to the public for legal advice on whether to release images and details of the alleged perpetrators to aid in their arrest.

Her reappearance has sparked widespread reactions online, with many expressing concern over her condition and calling for thorough investigations into the claims.

Watch video below:

The attackers stormed into Evangelical Church Winning All in the mainly rural farming district of Aaaaz-Kiri during Sunday morning service, opening fire and then abducting some of the congregants.

Five of the gunmen were killed, according to Kogi state’s information commissioner, Kingley Fanwo, but he said others managed to escape despite being wounded.

Officials describe the assailants as “bandits” – a term used locally for criminal gangs who typically kidnap people for ransom.

Only two weeks ago, gunmen raided a church in the nearby town of Ejiba, kidnapping a pastor, his wife and several church members.

They are still being held, despite efforts by security agencies to secure their release, local residents say.

“The security onslaught in neighbouring Niger and Kwara states is pushing the bandits more towards Kogi state,” Fanwo told the BBC.

These latest incidents underline Nigeria’s persistent insecurity, particularly in parts of the north-western and central regions, where armed criminal gangs have carried out a wave of mass abductions, attacks on villages and assaults on places of worship in recent weeks.

The biggest of these saw more than 250 children and 12 members of staff reportedly kidnapped from St Mary’s Catholic School in in Papiri, Niger state, at the end of November.

The Nigerian government had claimed that jihadist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (Iswap) were to blame in most cases, but this has been disputed by analysts who tell the BBC they were committed by criminal gangs.

In recent weeks, President Bola Tinubu has ordered security chiefs tostep up intelligence-led operations to curb kidnappings, and approved the deployment of extra troops and police to known hotspots.

Authorities also say joint military and police task forces have recorded successes in dismantling some armed groups. Yet the attacks continue largely unabated, especially in rural communities where security presence is thin and response times are slow.

Tutu is back on admission at the Kintampo Municipal Hospital, where he was previously treated and briefly discharged. Speaking over the phone on Thursday evening, he told Myjoyonline.com that he could hardly bear the pain.

However, Unas Owusu, the regional chairman, denied any knowledge of the incident when contacted by Myjoyonline.com. He attributed the allegations to detractors attempting to tarnish his reputation.

Alfred Agandaa’s body, particularly his back, is covered in bruises and cuts inflicted by the thugs, who, he said, posed as national security operatives.

He claims he was targeted for allegedly denigrating the regional party chairman over the whereabouts of some 200 out of 600 bags of rice said to have been recovered from a warehouse belonging to former MP and New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate in the 2024 elections, Alexander Gyan.

According to Agandaa, a known NDC activist, he was forcibly bundled into a Daewoo Matiz at the Yakam Hotel in Kintampo by about four men, including the driver, who claimed to be national security operatives.

Lured into a trap

His captors had lured him to the hotel by informing him that the party’s regional secretary, Isaac Adaebsa, needed to see him there.

Upon reaching there, he recounted that they forced him into the vehicle and drove him out of town towards Jema, enduring severe beatings along the way as they accused him of insulting key personalities in the constituency and the region, including the constituency and regional party chairmen.

He said they handcuffed him and subjected him to a brutal assault in a bush. As the beating continued, he overheard his captors saying they had been instructed to “finish him.” They stopped the car, got out, and marched him along a narrow path into the bush. Eventually, they halted among some mango trees near a stream, forcing him to kneel while still handcuffed as the assault persisted.

One of his attackers, he alleged, received a phone call, during which he overheard the individual saying, “But chairman, you said we should finish him, and now you are asking us to bring him to the office?”

Agandaa said a passerby, a man returning from his farm, chanced upon them and asked if he was a thief. The thugs, however, denied this, claiming instead that he was known for insulting elders in the town.

At about 6 p.m., in his weakened state and still in handcuffs, the thugs helped him back into the vehicle and drove him to the regional chairman’s office.

Tortured at the chairman’s office

At the office, he alleged that the heavily built thugs continued beating him, hitting and kicking him as the regional chairman watched.

Agandaa said the chairman merely remarked that assemblymen should not be deluded into thinking that Kintampo South belonged to them alone and warned that all other assemblymen would suffer the same fate. He then returned to his office.

The thugs subsequently marched Agandaa, still on his knees, and ordered him to apologise to the chairman. Following this, an aide of the regional chairman, identified as Abass, along with two others, intervened and pleaded for the assault to stop. They then locked Agandaa in an office to prevent further beatings.

While in confinement, Abass brought him a phone and told him that the Member of Parliament for Kintampo South, Felicia Adjei, was on the line and that he should plead with her to apologise to the chairman on his behalf.

Agandaa recounted that he explained everything to the MP, who assured him she would intervene. Later, Abass brought the phone again, this time connecting him with the constituency chairman.

According to Agandaa, the constituency chairman, Robert Sakyi, also known as Chairman Slimmer, reprimanded him for insulting the regional chairman, adding that while he himself had often been insulted, he chose to ignore it.

Abass again urged Agandaa to plead with the constituency chairman to intervene on his behalf, which he did, prompting Slimmer to agree to speak with the regional chairman.

The alleged offence

According to Agandaa, his ordeal stemmed from his opposition to plans by the constituency chairman to distribute the ‘seized’ rice. He and other assembly members had threatened to hold a press conference to expose the situation.

A meeting was held with the regional minister, who wanted to understand the situation. However, Agandaa later recorded an audio message protesting the regional chairman’s presence at the meeting and alleging that, based on his conduct, he may have received some of the rice. He posted this audio in a group chat for the assembly members, urging them not to relent until the right thing was done—either the rice should be distributed to secondary schools or returned to the government.

Agandaa also insisted that if all else failed, they should proceed with the planned press conference.

He believes this message may have been perceived as an insult by the chairman, which, in turn, led to his brutal assault.

Reactions from party leadership

NDC Bono East General Secretary, Isaac Adaebsa

Isaac Adaebsa told Myjoyonline.com that he received a call from his regional chairman on Wednesday, informing him that Agandaa had insulted him and that he had sent for him to be brought in for questioning.

Isaac said he asked the chairman if he had involved the police, but the chairman did not respond before ending the call. It was later that night that Agandaa contacted him to report his ordeal at the hands of the men the chairman had sent to fetch him.

Upon seeing Agandaa’s injuries, Isaac recommended that he seek a more thorough medical examination to check for internal bleeding.

MP Felicia Adjei

The Member of Parliament for Kintampo South, Felicia Adjei, told Myjoyonline.com that while she was in Parliament on Wednesday, she received multiple calls until she eventually stepped out to answer one from Abass, whom she knew to be close to the regional chairman.

She was informed about Agandaa’s ordeal and asked to speak with him to encourage him to apologise to the chairman for his freedom.

After speaking with Agandaa and confirming the account, she was furious and demanded that he be set free, insisting that it was wrong for anyone to take the law into their own hands. She also recalled being told that the phone would be handed to the chairman for her to speak with him. However, she maintained that “whatever had happened was wrong” and that Tutu (Agandaa) be freed.

She later contacted her election director to visit Agandaa and provide him with financial support.

MP Felicia Adjei promised to resolve the matter amicably, acknowledging that the constituency party had suffered too many internal disputes.

Kintampo South NDC Chairman, Chairman Slimmer

Chairman Slimmer, when contacted twice on the phone, asked for time to complete a meeting before commenting on the matter. However, he hinted at the need for caution when dealing with Agandaa.

Former MP Alex Gyan

Similarly, former MP Alex Gyan requested a later date to address the issue.

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The gruesome kidnap and murder of Christiannah have generated condemnation on social media as Nigerians are demanding justice and immediate prosecution of the alleged killer.

Information gathered by our correspondent revealed that 23-year-old Ayomide had confessed to the crime.

According to a detailed report obtained by Vanguard, Christiannah Idowu was declared missing on August 19, 2024, after her parents were contacted by her abductors via her own WhatsApp account. The first contact with her parents occurred around 8:49 p.m., followed by photos of Christiannah in captivity, sent using WhatsApp’s ‘view once’ feature.

The abductors demanded a ransom of N1,500,000. Christiannah’s parents were said to have managed to raise N350,000 immediately.

The abductors then instructed that the money be deposited into a betting account through a bank deposit (details withheld ).

After receiving the money, on August 22, the abductors requested that the bank statement of the sender be forwarded to an email. The family, reportedly complied.

However, the abductors ceased communication immediately afterwards.

On August 22, an amount was said to have been transferred into Christiannah’s GTBank account and subsequently withdrawn into a Wema Bank account belonging to the primary suspect (name withheld for now).

By August 29, Police sources hinted that intelligence operatives confirmed with the bank that the BVN linked to the masked betting account allegedly belonged to the suspect, who also operates the Wema Bank account (account number withheld for now).

Further investigation as gathered, revealed that the suspect withdrew N100,000 from the betting account before agents could have the account blocked.

Operatives reportedly began investigating the suspect, who is said to have a mutual relationship with Christiannah, as evidenced by their Instagram interactions.

The same account number was said to have been used to launder money from Christiannah’s account which was previously posted on Twitter soliciting a giveaway.

With all this information, operatives reportedly tracked the suspect’s phone activities and messages, leading them to his parent’s house in the Ikorodu area of Lagos.

Active tracking further confirmed his presence at the location, with Nigerian Army personnel from the 174th Battalion effecting his arrest, Vanguard gathered.

The suspect’s phone was said to have contained details of the money transferred and also confirmed ownership of the betting account. It also reportedly showed correspondence between his email and the email used to communicate with Christiannah’s family.

After reviewing the evidence, the suspect was reportedly taken into custody for further investigation.

A few days later, the suspect reportedly confessed to both his father and soldiers that he had killed Christiannah and buried her at his home.

An unconfirmed report said that the suspect’s ex-girlfriend was killed in 2018, similarly, and in 2020, his biological sister met the same fate.

Reacting to the trend Human rights activist lawyer and alumni of OOU, Festus Ogun, said “I’m so embarrassed that this boy is a student of OOU. On behalf of the management and alumni of OOU, we disassociate ourselves from him. He doesn’t represent our values. #JusticeForChristianah”

When contacted, Lagos State Police Spokesman SP Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed that the Nigerian Army had handed over Ayomide, to the Police.

Hudenyin in a message he shared on his X handle wrote: “23-year-old Ayomide Adeleye has been handed over to #LagosPoliceNG by 9 Brigade #HQNigerianArmy. The handover took place today, September 5, 2024, at about 1400hrs. The investigation is ongoing”.

Source: Vanguard News

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With its strip clubs, taco stands and buzzing motorbikes, San Luis Rio Colorado is typical of Mexican border communities.

In a migrant shelter, a stone’s throw from the towering, rust-red fence that separates the town from the US state of Arizona, Eduardo rests on a shady patio.

On one wall, there’s a large wooden cross. And it’s here that Eduardo began to process – and recover from – his terrifying ordeal in Mexico.

Eduardo, who is in his 50s, used to run a fast-food restaurant in Ecuador. But organised crime has tightened its grip in his former, mostly peaceful, South American home.

“As business people we were extorted,” he says. Eduardo was threatened with death if he didn’t pay a ‘tax’ to the gang. “What could we do? To save our lives we had to leave.”

Eduardo never wanted to migrate, but he was frightened and decided to head to the US to ask for asylum.

His story is typical of thousands of people from many parts of the world fleeing violence and seeking a new life in the US.

After a record number of arrivals at the end of 2023, Democratic President Joe Biden proposed stricter immigration measures which include shutting the border when it’s overwhelmed. His opponent Republican Donald Trump says he will introduce mass deportations if elected in November.

What has stayed mostly under the radar in the debate about mass migration to the US is the role of Mexico’s deadly drug trafficking organisations.

Eduardo began his journey by flying from the Ecuadorean capital Quito to Mexico City. Then he boarded a bus north to Sonoyta on the US border, a journey of more than 30 hours.

The passengers were a mix of migrants and Mexicans. But what Eduardo didn’t appreciate was that his trip would take him across terrain controlled by some of Mexico’s most violent drug cartels and their associates – malevolent forces that dominate the business of migration.

The first time the bus was stopped, it was early morning, around 6am. Ten armed men wearing balaclavas got on board.

The bus was driven off-road towards the mountains. The men asked to see everyone’s papers. Once they established who the migrants were, they asked each of them for 1500 pesos (US$90) or they would be detained.

The migrants pooled their cash but were short by 200 pesos (US$12). The men let them off and 11 hours after being stopped, the bus was allowed to go on its way.

San Luis Rio Colorado, the border town where Eduardo recuperated at the migrant shelter, has also gained a reputation for the kidnap of migrants.

In May last year, neighbours of a modern, two-storey house on the edge of town reported unusual comings and goings. When the Mexican authorities swooped, five people were arrested and more than 100 migrants freed. Some of them had been held in the house for three weeks.

“They didn’t have food and water, and they were maltreated physically and psychologically,” says Teresa Flores Munoz, a local police officer involved in the operation.

She remembers a woman from India. “She was crying and holding her baby. She pushed the baby at me – she said I should take him, because they were going to kill him. It was really desperate.”

Twenty-three nationalities were represented among the captives, including people from Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, China, Mauritania and Senegal.

According to local reports, the kidnappers demanded US$2,500 from each migrant, double from pregnant women.

If the migrants do not have the money, the gangs demand it from relatives either back home or north of the border in the US.

These extortionists and hostage-takers are not only professional criminals – some are also law enforcement. As Eduardo’s bus continued north through the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Sonora, he says they were stopped at six police checkpoints where officers demanded money from the migrants.

“If you didn’t have cash they called you over. They said, ‘take off your trousers, take off your clothes’, and you have to give them everything, like your suitcase. If you didn’t have money they took your papers – that’s how I lost some documents.”

Submitted photos taken secretly on a bus raided by armed men

Bus holdups targeting migrants aren’t unusual. In San Luis Rio Colorado, we worked with a local Mexican journalist. After he left us, he sent us photos, taken secretly, of his bus home being stopped by a gang, their faces covered.

“Everyone on the bus knew they were sicarios [hitmen] for the drug and migrant trafficking mafia,” he said.

The masked men only questioned people they suspected weren’t Mexican – those in poor clothing, their faces fearful. The five or six migrants taken off the bus were each extorted of up to US$50.

The door of the men’s truck bore the logo of an agency of Sonora’s State Prosecutor – AMIC (Agencia Ministerial de Investigaciones Criminales) – can be seen. Our journalist colleague thinks it was faked.

Eduardo’s most distressing experience on his journey from Mexico City north to the border happened in the state of Sonora too, around three hours from Sonoyta.

Again, the bus was stopped by armed men. And because there was not enough cash to hand over, two Colombian families, including five children, were forced off the bus, loaded into a truck and driven away.

“We didn’t have enough money to save everyone,” says Eduardo, his voice breaking.

He was now penniless, his $3,000 savings gone. This meant he couldn’t pay a “coyote” or people smuggler in Sonoyta to get him across the border illegally into the US.

The bus driver told Eduardo he risked being kidnapped if he stayed there, and dropped him in San Luis Rio Colorado instead, where Eduardo made his way to the migrant shelter.

Abducted migrants, or those who refuse to pay the men with guns, may face a terrible fate. Further west along the border, the city of Tijuana has been a jumping off point for people entering the US illegally for decades.

And recently, bodies of migrants have been found in the hills east of the city – shot in the head, execution-style. There is speculation they were people who tried to make it onto American soil without paying a “coyote” or the criminal group that controls that part of the border.

What is evident is that the cartels have diversified their economic activities to include extortion, kidnap and human smuggling, says Dr Victor Clark Alfaro, a professor at San Diego State University.

“I call them ‘narco-coyotes’ because they not only cross people, they also cross drugs into the US,” he says, adding that migrants can be forced to take narcotics with them.

In Tijuana, the infamous Sinaloa cartel controls groups of human smugglers and so does the Jalisco New Generation cartel.

“Violence is one of the key elements of organised crime,” says Dr Clark. “Violence used to control their own territories, and against innocents.”

In San Luis Rio Colorado, Eduardo rested, felt better and got a local job. But after his journey from hell across Mexico, he chose not to risk an illegal crossing into the US with a “coyote”.

Instead, he registered with a free, US government online app called CBP One which allows migrants to schedule an appointment at a US Port of Entry.

Photo credit: Getty Images

If they pass security screening, they may be paroled into the US and allowed to work while they wait for an immigration hearing. This is one of the Biden administration’s measures designed to dilute the power of the cartels.

Two things have kept Eduardo focused on making it to the US. One is his Catholic faith. The other, some very unwelcome news from Ecuador about a friend, who – like Eduardo – was being extorted by criminals.

Eduardo had wanted the two of them to travel north together. But his friend didn’t want to leave family – he told Eduardo he would fix things with the gang. He couldn’t.

“The men went to my friend’s shop. They killed him there,” says Eduardo, in tears. “So, if I’d stayed in Ecuador… Well, I give thanks to God… I’ve suffered, but I’m still alive.”

In March, Eduardo entered the US legally.

They were attacked and abducted while returning from an event on Sunday, December 17.

Another musician, Adeyinka Adeboye, also known as Boyebest,  disclosed this on Instagram.

“A whole full band members kidnapped, Naija is f**k up I swear my prayers are with you guys. You all would come out alive.”

They were travelling to Kogi State from Abuja for a performance when they met their kidnappers.

According to Boyebest, the kidnappers are demanding N10 million ransom each to release them.

He wrote: “May God in His Infinite mercy bring you guys back home in peace in Jesus Name. GOD pls bring these your children back home. This is so so scary. God have mercy”.

@omobadejumbobeats and his band men were kidnapped on their way to Kogi from Abuja for performance yesterday, please we need help as the kidnappers are demanding #10m ransom on each person.”

The lad fell victim to a horrifying kidnapping three days ago on November 13, while returning from school late afternoon.

Shockingly, the perpetrators attempted to remove the boy’s intestines while he was still alive, inflicting grievous harm on him.

The timely intervention of residents returning from a nearby farm led to the rescue of the boy.

Despite the horrific nature of the assault, the child was found alive with both small and large intestines protruding from his belly.

The kidnapper managed to escape from the scene, leaving the child in critical condition.

Currently, the victim is receiving urgent medical treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, where medical professionals are working tirelessly to stabilize his condition.

The matter has since been reported to the police.

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Reports indicate that 34-year-old Doris Adjei was found abandoned in a bush at Mmetiam.

In an update on their official social media pages, the police said the victim is being taken for medical review and psycho-social care.

However, an arrest is yet to be made despite hours-long manhunt.

The victim is among two families that were attacked by two robbers at the dawn of Wednesday, August 17.

The machete-wielding culprits robbed the victims of their valuables before escaping with the victim who has now been rescued.

Per a police situational report, the suspects fled with an unspecified amount of money and four mobile phones.

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In a video that is currently in circulation, Madam Okereke, who spent seven days in captivity, said she was denied food or water throughout her stay.

She also indicated that she and her colleague could not even sleep for good one week out of fear.

This, she said, has given her high blood pressure.

However, she is thankful for the experience as she says it has taught her that she has loved ones ready to risk it all for her.

“I didn’t know I have people and I have friends, good colleagues, people that care for me, people that can pray for me and stand on my behalf.”

Madam Okereke thanked her colleagues, fans, security agencies, and other stakeholders who contributed to their release.

She is currently safe after reuniting with her family.

Cynthia Okereke and Clemson Agbogidi were abducted while returning from a film set.

The abductors demanded an enormous ransom of $100,000 which was negotiated to N1.2 million but they rejected.

In a fate of luck, the abductors released the veteran actors after, they said, the Holy Spirit convinced them to.

About a week ago, the two were reported missing and upon investigations, the Nigeria police confirmed their abduction while they were returning from a movie set.

This was confirmed after kidnappers demanded a ransom of $100,000. 

However, a meager N1.2 million was raised, which the culprits rejected.

In what is a strange event, the two have been released unharmed.

The Guild has arranged for medical checks and psychological support for the victims.

Find attached statement below:

Her hands and legs were tied and blindfolded by alleged abductors.

The traumatised victim, a pupil of Akrofuom Primary School, was found in one of the rooms of an uncompleted Methodist Church building in the area, by a resident who alerted the police.

The police suspect the abductors kept their victim briefly with the intent of returning for her under the cover of darkness.

The victim told police she was abducted by two men she met on the streets whilst on her way home from school on Thursday, August 28, 2022, at about 2:00 pm.

Her parents, until her rescue, launched unsuccessful efforts in search of their daughter.

She remained in captivity until at about 6:45 pm when the murmuring of the girl attracted a passer-by to the scene.

Police at Nkawie discovered the girl tied in white cloth lying on a red cloth spread on the floor.

Nhyira FM sources at the Ashanti Regional Police Command said the victim was sent to the Toase Government Hospital after the rescue for medical attention.

She was treated and discharged and has since been reunited with her family.

Meanwhile, police have launched a manhunt for the two men who allegedly abducted the 11-year-old girl.

Personnel from the Crime Scene Management team have visited the scene and taken fingerprint evidence to aid investigations.

Command officials have also tasked the Nkawie police to embark on an education drive for parents, school authorities and other stakeholders to be conscious of the security and safety of their children.

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The other was freed after a ransom was paid, the head of the Kaduna state branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev John Joseph Hayab, told the BBC.

In a statement, the Church said the “decomposing” body of Rev Father John Mark Cheitnum was discovered on Tuesday.

It described the killing as “gruesome murder”.

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The Church said the cleric was shot dead on Friday – the day he was abducted.

However, Rev Father Donatus Cleopas, who was freed, has been reunited with his family.

Rev Fr John Mark Cheitnum of Kafanchan Diocese who was abducted from his parish rectory in Kaduna four days ago has been murdered by his abductors. His already decomposing body was found today. Fr Donatus Cleophas who was abducted with him escaped from the abductors and is safe. https://t.co/vDRTT9UVS0 pic.twitter.com/V0lqoPNqgU

— Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch (@FrUgochukwu) July 19, 2022

The Christian clerics were seized at gunpoint at a rectory in the village of Yadin Garu in Kaduna after having travelled there for a church event.

The kidnappers had demanded a large ransom while the police had said efforts were under way to rescue them.

Rev Hayab told the BBC that a ransom was paid after negotiations – though not the amount originally demanded – and the kidnappers then said where Rev Cheitnum’s body could be found.

Since May, around a dozen Christian clerics – most of them Roman Catholics – have been abducted by gunmen across Nigeria.

At least three of them have been killed by their captors.

Hostages are usually released after ransom payments.

This is happening at a time Nigeria grapples with a wave deadly violence by armed gangs.

Thousands of civilians have either been killed or abducted for ransom since the beginning of this year alone – mostly in the north of the country. President Muhammadu Buhari’s government is facing increasing criticism for failing to tackle the widespread insecurity.

Police officers stormed the hideout where the pastor was rescued and two of the suspects were arrested, while the two men in military camouflage escaped.

It comes days after gunmen launched a devastating attack on a mining site, kidnapping at least four Chinese miners and killing over 20 members of the Nigerian security forces.

Those abducted remain in captivity.

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Niger state government fears some of the privately-run gold and other mines may harbour criminals, and intends now to screen mining sites state-wide.

The federal government also believes proceeds from mining may be funding some of the violent kidnapping gangs currently rife in Nigeria.

Nigeria is struggling to curb a wave of kidnappings for ransom by armed gangs – some of which have at times teamed up with Islamist extremists.

Mining activities have been suspended in some areas in the past but the measure failed to end the kidnapping crisis.

The two men – Father Udo Peter and Father Philemon Oboh – were abducted by gunmen along a motorway linking the cities of Benin and Auchi.

It comes a week after gunmen killed a priest, Father Christopher Odia, near Auchi.

In a separate development, the authorities in the north-western state of Zamfara, have recruited more than 9,000 people who they call “community protection guards” to fight criminals.

At the end of last month the state governor urged people to buy guns to defend themselves against so-called bandits.

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A 16-year-old girl has been reportedly kidnapped at Kasoa in the Central Region by unknown kidnappers.

According to the father, David Aidoo, the daughter left home to school on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 and has since not returned.

The victim is reported to be a Junior High School final year pupil.

Mr Aidoo, speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Wednesday, reiterated that the kidnappers did not demand for money but rather, asked him to pray if not he might not get to see her daughter again.

“When I spoke with the kidnappers, they told me they have my daughter in their possession and that we might not get to see her again if we don’t pray but they didn’t demand for any money,” he noted.

He further indicated that he was insulted when he pleaded with them to release his daughter.

“When I asked them if they want me to pay them so they can release my daughter, the kidnapper insulted me saying I am a foolish man,” he said.

“They told me if my family does not pray intensively, they will kill my daughter,” he added.

The case, according to Mr Aidoo, has been reported to the Kasoa new market police station where investigations are underway.

The suspect was arrested following a distress call received by policemen at a divisional headquarters.

It is reported that while Good Friday service was going on at Celestial church of Christ, the suspect and one other who is now at large, sneaked into the children department and stole two children who are two and three years old.

On their way out with the stolen children, a vigilant member of the church sighted them and raised an alarm, consequence upon which the congregants pursued them and apprehended one of them.

Upon the distress call, the police commander quickly mobilized his men and moved to the scene where the suspect was rescued from angry mob who were about to lynch him.

The state police public relations officer, who confirmed this to newsmen, said the suspect has been transferred to anti kidnapping unit of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for discreet investigation.

He also ordered that the accomplice must be hunted for and brought to book.

This was made known by the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Joseph John Hayab.

According to Vanguard, Hayab also disclosed that the member of the CAN who took the ransom demanded by the terrorists was also kidnapped after he delivered the message.

“The remaining student preferred to remain with the bandits, it puzzled the entire members of the Baptist family and indeed, CAN. The bandits were said to be showering the boy with gifts each time they went out and come back from operations, thereby, making him reject the offer of freedom.

“He is the smallest among them. I think the kidnappers were smart. They worked and changed his mind that he even said he wants to stay with them. They gave him meat, good things. Anytime they go out and come back, they pick him among the rest and gave him so many things and then he starts acting funny.

“If they tell him to go home, he would say he was not going and gave some flimsy excuses that his parents used to beat him at home. I understand they are playing mind games with him by giving him gifts and convincing him to talk that way.

“Last week, they asked us to bring some money to come and take him. The person who took the money to them was k!dnapped. The person is with them as I speak now. So, the whole thing is taking a different dimension and we need to be careful,” he said.

Fans were particularly concerned for her wellbeing when it was reported that men clad in all black disrupted her performance and ordered her to exit with them.

In videos shared, gunshots were heard in the background with patrons fleeing for their lives.

Finally finding her voice, Teni clarified that indeed there was chaos and stampede but it was caused by a fight backstage and not a kidnap attempt.

She said the incident happened so fast that all she could see were bottles flying through alongside gunshots.

Teni was however protected by her bodyguards.

She updated that she, together with all members of her team, is fine and back home.

“Could have been a different story but I’m grateful to God,” she wrote along with posts of gratitude to all who checked up on her.

It’s been four months since Rhodaline Amoah-Darko, who turns 33 on January 3, has gone missing.

Though police have provisionally charged her husband, Dr Wilberforce Nkrumah Aggrey, a lecturer at the Petroleum Department of the KNUST, with kidnapping, the family says the disappearance of the mother of two has left them in pain.

The mother of two, described by her family as loving, caring and lively, is not available to observe her birthday that usually comes with pomp and pageantry.

Her disappearance also means no Christmas celebration for her extended family.

For the family, it is hard to contend with the harsh reality of her disappearance.

“It has been extremely difficult for us. This is the first time the children are not seeing their mother for Christmas, and none of the family celebrated Christmas this time. We are all looking forward to seeing our daughter. So to us, this Christmas didn’t exist.

Members of the extended family, including aunties and uncles, have been meeting on New Year’s day to pray and discuss the way forward for the disappeared Rhodaline.

The family is optimistic their relative will be found alive.

“We all have the faith that she is alive being kept somewhere by these wicked people. And we pray, and we are trusting the Lord that he will bring her alive to us,” says Charlotte Acquah,  Rhodaline’s aunt and also the family spokesperson.

But as optimistic as they are, the family is unsure when Rhodaline will return to the family.

“We are waiting on the Lord. A thousand years is like a day before the Lord. He knows where Rhoda is. Therefore, we are pleading that the time of waiting should be shortened for us so that we see her as soon as possible,” says Madam Acquah.

The family has, since the disappearance, received psychological therapy support from the police.

But the family is challenged in dealing with Rhoda’s two ‘clever’ but emotionally traumatised children who keep asking questions on when their mother is returning.

“Definitely, they would ask. They are not seeing the mother; they are not seeing the father. Isn’t it heartbreaking for these little ones to go through such a thing?” she quizzed.

“At times, you will have to go and hide somewhere; you will weep and think about what to tell the children. It is not easy,” she added.

Meanwhile, Dr Wilberforce Aggrey is expected to appear before the Asokwa District Court on January 14, 2022.

Investigators rescued the 19-year-old at the home of Brent Brown, 39, who initially told police that he was alone in the house in Utah, US.

The teenager is said to have been naked and covered in coal when the dramatic rescue took place after officers spotted a slight, blonde-haired person in the basement of the home.

Officials told the Salt Lake Tribune this prompted them to obtain a search warrant.

During the search, police found her Snow College ID card in the property so they searched the cellar, where the traumatised student was found hidden in the coal room.

Brown reportedly told detectives that he tied her up and took away her phone as part of a sexual role-play.

But she said that she was held against her will and was coerced into having sex with him because he threatened her family.

She said she felt forced to comply with his demands after he revealed that he knew her family’s home address and threatened harm against her parents and siblings.

Court documents suggest the lady and Brown met online, in a group chat on the Kik app, and she had agreed to meet with him on December 13.

On the morning of Tuesday, December 14, she sent her family members a text that simply said “I love you!” before her phone was confiscated by Brown.

The out-of-the-blue text prompted her family to contact the police and her college roommates also reported her disappearance to authorities.

She was officially declared missing the following day.

Signals from her phone helped police to track down her location to Loa, a town with around 500 people in the state of Utah.

Brown is being held on suspicion of aggravated kidnapping, rape, object rape and obstruction of justice, according to the Salt Lake Tribune,

Snow College Police Chief Derek Walk said on Sunday at a news conference: “We don’t have a lot of information about him.

“We met him for the first time last night. We don’t know how extensive his relationship or her knowledge of him is thus far.”

He added: “This is an ongoing investigation.

“There are certain aspects we are still digging into and trying to understand fully.”

Most of the cases were recorded in the eastern corridor of the region.

The cases were recorded in Saboba, Bimbila, Mion Zabzugu among other areas. Six cases are currently under investigation while six suspects are in Police custody.

The operations leading to the arrest of the suspects took place in Sang in the Mion District and Yamokaraga in the Karaga District.

Northern Regional Crime Officer, Superintendent Bernard Baba Ananga, who disclosed this to JoyNews, said three of the suspects were arrested in Mion while five suspects are on the run.

He said the Police have a lead on the whereabouts of the suspects, adding that they will soon be picked up to help with investigations.

“So far, I don’t have the statistics on my table, but I believe we have recorded more than ten kidnap cases,” Superintendent Ananga said.

He said the Regional Crime Office has taken over most of these cases, while the rest are before the courts.

Superintendent Ananga noted that following the recent arrests, the incidences have reduced.

“Since the incidence of kidnappings recorded and the several arrests made, for now we are not experiencing any issue of kidnapping,” he said.

The Regional Crime Officer said the families of a victim in one of the cases paid a ransom up to the tune of GHS150,000 before the victim was released.

“Because of the nature of the case, we believe others are at large. So we don’t want to disclose all the details,” he stated.

He said another ransom of GHS80,000 was paid in the Salaga Kidnap case. Superintendent Ananga added that in some instances, the kidnappers demanded cattle if their victims could not pay in cash.

The 27-year-old is currently admitted at a Provincial Hospital in Harare following the abuse after being kidnapped by two women and a man at gunpoint.

The police, which confirmed the incident, said the crime happened at a shopping centre, where the man had boarded a taxi.

“The complainant left home at night to pick up his wife who was at her aunt’s place in the same suburb. The complainant went to Mukwena Shopping Centre Bus Stop where he boarded a white Mazda Verisa which had three occupants; two women sitting in front and a male who was at the back seat,” he said.

The vehicle is reported to have gone off course along the way.

“The complainant asked where they were taking him, and the driver told him that she wanted to drop off one of her colleagues. After driving for a short distance, the driver stopped and parked the vehicle at a secluded place along the gravel road towards Dora Business Centre.

“The complainant sensed danger and tried to bolt out of the vehicle, but the man who was sitting next to him at the back grabbed him by the waist,” said a police detective.

The complainant fought spiritedly to flee from the dangerous situation and was only subdued after the woman pulled out a gun.

“She ordered him to calm down before injecting him with an unknown substance on the right thigh. He became unconscious and does not remember what happened thereafter they took turns to pounce on him.

“It is not clear how the complainant got back to Mukwena Business Centre, but he later gained consciousness and narrated his story to a security guard. He pleaded with the guard to call his relative to rush to the shopping centre. His relative came and rushed him to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital.”

A medical examination revealed that the man had been sexually assaulted. The police have since launched a search for the perpetrators.

The man is yet to regain consciousness again.

The command’s spokesperson, ASP Ramhan Nansel, in a statement on Wednesday, December 1, said the suspect was arrested after a complaint was lodged at the police headquarters.

According to him, “On 25/11/2021 at about 20:00hrs, a complaint was lodged at Garaku Divisional Police Headquarters, Kokona LGA, Nasarawa State about a missing three-year-old boy and all efforts to locate his whereabouts proved abortive.

“Upon receipt of the complaints, Police operatives attached to Garaku Division immediately swung into action and arrested the suspect and the missing three- year-old child was rescued and reunited with the family.”

Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect abducted the child on November 21 and took him to Imo State to sell to a prophetess before the Police got wind of her nefarious act.

The suspect has confessed to the commission of the offence while effort is ongoing to arrest the prophetess still at large.

The Commissioner of Police has directed that the suspect be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia for a more investigations.

Ekiti State Police Command in Nigeria who arrested the woman said she demanded a sum of N50,000 as ransom.

Spokesperson of the command, ASP Sunday Abutu, who paraded her alongside other suspects on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, said the suspect was arrested by men of the Rapid Respond Squad after thorough and intensive investigation.

According to the PPRO, the RRS operatives on 20th November, 2021, got a distress call from her that she was kidnapped by unknown gunmen along Ifaki-Oye-Ekiti road. 

“On 20/11/2021 at about 1030hrs, a distress call was received from one *Sule Nana* ‘f’ that she was kidnapped by unknown gunmen along Ifaki/Oye-Ekiti road alongside other passengers,” ASP Abutu stated. 

“She called her husband that the kidnappers were demanding a sum of fifty thousand naira (#50,000:00) ransom before she could be released. The RRS Operatives, upon the receipt of the complaint, swung into action by combing the bush along Ifaki/Oye-Ekiti before it was later discovered that Sule Nana kidnapped herself to get money from her relatives. She has confessed to the commission of the crime,” he added.

Speaking, the suspect said she decided to plan her own abduction in order to get money from her husband and relatives.

“I needed some money but I could not see any helper and I decided to plan my abduction where I will collect ransom. I called my husband to demand N50,000 ransom and in the process, I was arrested.” she said. 

The police arrested three persons after the case was reported. Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP Eboka, who addressed journalists at the scene where the remains of the 64-year-old retired officer were recovered, said the incident occurred on 18th September 2021 but was not reported to the police until a month later.

Eboka said the police swung into action and through due intelligence arrested three suspects identified as Frank Ishie, Iwuji Reginald, Gomba Okparaji.

The suspects were said to have demanded for ransom from the family of the deceased before he was killed.

One of the suspects, Ishie confessed to the crime, telling journalists that the victim was kidnapped at Agbonchia in Eleme Local Government Area.

 He said he was shot in the leg as he “proved stubborn” while being taken to their den.

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Ishie revealed that the army captain bled to death while his remains were dropped off at the new layout off Igbo-Etche road in Etche Local Government Area of the State.

The suspect, who also confessed to being involved in four different kidnap operations, added that their victims were kept at their hideout at Igbo-Etche before ransoms were paid.

The name of the alleged victim has been given as Stephanie Kumiwaa, 26.

3news reports that Stephen Kumi, who is the boyfriend of the victim, told Connect FM the last time he spoke with her was on Sunday, October 17.

According to him, on that fateful day, Miss Kumiwaa, a resident of Mpohor told him she would be coming to visit him after church.

“I didn’t hear from her again after the long chat on phone, only for me to be called the next day by some guys using my girlfriend’s phone that they had kidnapped her and that I should pay GHS2,000 otherwise she would be raped and used for rituals,” he recounted.

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According to him, after days of back and forth, he and a friend of the alleged victim, whose name has only been given as Sandra, contributed GHS1,000 and sent it to the guys through her phone, only for the alleged kidnappers to still demand another GHS2,000.

The case was then reported to the Mpohor Police and the Assembly member of the town.

As of November 1, 2021, the whereabouts of the lady

is yet to be known while the alleged kidnappers have not been heard from for over a week.

He plotted the kidnap and murder of his cousin, to avoid repaying the sum of N1.4 million he owed her, in Galadimawa, Kaduna State.

According to him, his cousin bought some tricycles valued at N3.9 million and gave them to him on hire purchase. He claimed he successfully paid N2.5 million and was owing her a balance of N1.4 million which he did not want to pay.

“I was supposed to have finished payment in December 2020. The total amount was N3.9 million. I have paid her N2.5 million, remaining a balance of N1.4 million. When she called to ask for the balance, I told her I was going to collect my money from someone. I lured her to accompany me to collect the money from the person but took her to bandits in Galadimawa.

“As we arrived the place, they kidnapped both of us and took us into the bush and separated us. My plan was for them to kill her. They were supposed to collect N100 million ransom and give me my share before they would kill her. I spent five days with them.”

My cousin was able to escape from the initial gang but fell into another kidnap gang’s hands. I was the one that drove her in her car to the place I told her I was going to collect money. After we were kidnapped, the kidnappers took the car away to a junction,” he told the police.
 
He claimed his co-conspirators, however, held him hostage and demanded that his family should bring money for his release.

“I don’t know the amount they negotiated with my family but I managed to escape from their camp on the day payment was supposed to be made. As I was escaping, I begged a farmer I met on the road to give me his phone to contact my people. I told the stranger that I was kidnapped.

“I told my people on the phone not to bother to pay money to anybody. I told my people that I escaped when the kidnappers went out. I told them to come and meet me at Iredachi Junction. From there, one of my brothers that came to pick me handed me over to IRT office,” he said.

Abia Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbede told newsmen on Friday, October 8 that the incident was reported to the police by his younger brother, Wisdom Nwatu. 

Wisdom had said his brother was kidnapped along Stadium Road, Okpuala Ngwa by unknown hoodlums operating with ash Sienna, with registration number unknown, when he went to buy recharge card.

After an investigation was conducted, the anti-kidnapping unit of the Command arrested one Chinaza Favour Ukaigwe whose bank account was used to receive a ransom of Two hundred thousand naira (N200,000) only. 

This led to the arrest of Nwatu who confessed to faking his kidnap, alleging that he did it because his mother is stingy. 

Agbede said:

“Chinaza Favour Ukaigwe told the police after arrest that Obinna Nwatu faked his own kidnap.

“He stated that Obinna and one Favour Ugorji a.k.a. ‘Wizzy’ approached him at his shop at Aba Road Abia State and requested that he should give his bank account to enable them use and receive the school fees of their young sister.”

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The investigation further revealed that Obinna Nwatu and Ugorji received through the account the sum of two hundred thousand naira (N200,000) paid in as a ransom by Mrs Rose Nwatu (mother of Obinna Nwatu).

“Obinna Nwatu confessed he was not actually kidnapped. He conspired with Favour Ugorji known as ‘Wizzy’ (now at large) to intentionally go into hiding at a hotel along with Rhema University Road Aba.”

The Acting Director-General of the Ghana Police Service’s Public Affairs Directorate, ACP Kwesi Ofori, says the administration is not aware that the Western Regional Minister provided an amount of ¢3,000 to pay off kidnappers in the case of Takoradi-based woman.

This comes after the aide of Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah told the media that his boss supported the police in handling the case by providing the amount mentioned above to be used to pay the ransom that was requested by the alleged kidnappers.

But speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, ACP Ofori explained that the Headquarters Management Board has not received any information regarding the ransom payment since it got involved in the case.

 “We distance ourselves from that story. We are not part of it. The police administration is not aware of such payment,” he stressed on Saturday.

ACP Ofori further stated that “in a security operation, such sensitive things bordering on kidnapping and such purported criminal activities, information around it should be well controlled.”

The senior officer further told host Samson Lardy Anyenini that now that the information has been brought to his attention, an investigation will be carried out to ascertain whether it is factual or otherwise.

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“The information has not come to the attention of the management board, you are telling me, and we will look at it. We will find out whether the regional police, divisional police, or the station took such an amount and what they used it for,” he said.

A week ago, a missing person flyer with a picture of one Josephine Panyin Mensah began circulating on social media. It stated that she was nine months pregnant and had gone missing since the 16th of September, 2021.

News later broke of her reappearance on the 21st of September 2021. She was, however, found without a pregnancy or a baby.

Further investigations by the Ghana Police Service revealed that she was never pregnant and declared her a suspect in a self-kidnapping case.

This caused friction between the authorities and residents of Takoradi and they protested and invoked curses on the police.

On Friday, the Ghana Police Service disclosed that the Takoradi-based woman, who allegedly faked her pregnancy and kidnapping, has confessed that she was not pregnant.

Meanwhile, ACP Ofori has disclosed that she will be put before court and prosecuted.

“Nothing will stop the police from going ahead to the court. Looking at the resources and the harm she has caused in terms of confusion between the family and state institutions and what happened on the media front [she will be prosecuted],” he said.

Watch the video attached for more:

Speaking in an interview with The Nation, the man said:

“There is a boy I used to know in my former place of residence. His name is Golden aka Sugar Gold. I met him early last year. He was looking unkempt, although he was old enough to take care of himself.

“I was helping, clothing him. I fed him sometimes, showing him love even though he wasn’t related to me. But he was the one, who arranged a gang of criminals to kidnap me.”

Narrating how he was abducted, he said he was on his way back from the gym when he was approached by his abductors.

“I alighted from my car to open my gate at Iwofe area, two guys approached me. One of them showed me an ID card claiming to be a naval officer and he called my name first, my phone number,  my local government area. He called out all my personal information.

“The other person brought out a gun and asked me to go to the back seat of my car while the other one took charge of my driver’s seat.

“They drove out of my street and we headed for D/line, where the one driving went into an office, collected some documents and drove to the bank where he performed some transactions.”

He said one of the assailants held him at gunpoint in the back seat throughout the period.

“From there, they drove me down to an unknown area in Oyigbo axis, where they kept me briefly and demanded a ransom of N1.5million. After the negotiations, they said I didn’t come up with a reasonable amount of money. They drove me back to my house in Port Harcourt, where they made away with my television set, emptied my fridge, turned my room inside out.

“They left with the things they collected, which are my car, phone, television set, N128,000, and a huge sum of money from my car and headset.

“They brought me back the same day. They dropped me at my junction and zoomed off. I think they felt it would be an inconvenience for them to keep me captive. Moreover, they were just two guys.

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“I was scared for my life. They had a six-round loaded pistol pointed to my waist. They threatened to kill me. Those guys are heartless and wicked.”

He said the two-man gang members were later tracked with the aid of his stolen phone and arrested by the police. He said they confessed that Sugar Gold sent them to kidnap me.

“I felt heartbroken that someone I was assisting to get on his feet turned around to kill me. His people have been begging me to forgive him. I have forgiven him but he needs to suffer the consequences of his action.”

Iyoha, a 41-year-old father of four, was kidnapped on May 9, 2020, beaten to death, and buried in a shallow grave around Aduwawa in Benin City.

His decomposing body was exhumed by the police on Tuesday, June 2020. 

The suspects, identified as Solomon Esuike, Onobun Solomon, Enoma Okuonghae, Ambrose Amaohin, fondly called ‘Onyeka’ and  Valentine Dibie, were paraded at the command headquarters on Thursday, September 23.

One of the suspects, Valentine Dibie, alongside four others, Osasu Osadolor Afro, Emmanuel David, Uwadia Taiwo Uhumwagho and Saturday Imagbe were previously arrested in October 2020 for the murder of the lawyer. 

The accused persons were remanded in prison custody awaiting court trial but they escaped during Benin’s October 2020 prison break.

Valentine Dibie was rearrested a few days ago after officers on patrol spotted him at the Benin Bypass while the four others were arrested later.

It was gathered that the late lawyer was drinking at his usual spot, celebrating one of his friends’ birthday in Evbuomodu in Benin when he attempted to settle a dispute peace between Osasu Osadolor, the son of a high Chief Nosakhare Osadolor, and another fellow. 

Angered, Osasu mobilised his friends, numbering over 10 to the scene where they met Iyoha, beat him to stupor before they forcefully took him away in a Lexus Jeep and was not seen for two weeks.

An eyewitness said that after the lawyer was beaten to a pulp with cutlass and wood, he was taken into their vehicle, and carried away in the full glare of everyone still at the Bar.

His friends, who were on the ground, chased after the car with their car, hoping to find out where they were taking him.

However, on their way, the boys brandished their guns at them, scaring them off the road… Unable to trail them any further, they decided to report the matter immediately to the Aduwawa police division.

“After explaining everything to the DPO. He put a call to Osazuwa’s father, who showed up at the station after a while. He confirmed to the DPO that his children, led by one Osazuwa, indeed abducted our friend, but he also told the DPO after placing a call to his son, that Iyoha had been let go since 7:00pm. This was at about 7:30 pm that same day,” the witness narrated.

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“On the strength of that, the DPO allowed the father go, and he sent one of his officers to accompany the lawyer’s friends to his house to ascertain if he has come home. When they got to his place, they only met his wife and children at home. They asked his wife about his whereabouts, she was shocked, stating that she thought her husband was still with them (his friends).

“That was the first time that she realised that something was wrong. They waited until the next morning. Still, Iyoha had not shown up at home. Then they went back to the Aduwawa station in the company of his wife.”

Nine days after the incident, the police arrested Osasu Osadolor and other members of his gang including one Valentine Ditaken. 

The gang took the police investigative team and journalists to the shallow grave where they buried the body of the lawyer. His remains were exhumed by pathologists from the Central Hospital Benin City and taken to the same hospital mortuary for autopsy.

In his first open confession to the incident, Valentine narrated to Standard Gazette how the late lawyer was killed. 

“I was at Aduwawa when Osasu Osadolor called me to meet him at Evbomodu that someone is embarrassing him. He then asked us to move the guy away where he ordered everyone to beat him. We used wood and other hard iron to beat him until he fainted,” he narrated. 

“I left and went home. I later saw on television that the man has died. I was among those arrested and was taken to prison. But when I suddenly saw the prison gate opened on 19 October 2020 and I just had to escape. I went to Ghana, and I came back a few months ago. I was the one that took the police to arrest other persons here with me now.”

Another suspect, Solomon Onobun, said: “I was passing by when l saw Osasu beating a man who was already on the floor. I heard him say we should enter him, but l felt so sorry for the late man. I never knew he will die”

Spokesperson of the command, SP Bello Kontongs,who confirmed the latest arrest, assured that those who escaped prison custody will be arrested soon. 

”Our policemen have been looking for those who killed the lawyer. We are happy that some of them have now been arrested. I can assure you that those who escaped from prison custody and are still at large would be arrested soon,” he stated. 

Josephine Panyin Mensah reportedly went missing after going for a routine dawn walk on Thursday, September 16, 2021.

Her husband, Paul Simon, reported the incident to the police and later said the mother had received a phone call from a suspected kidnapper who was demanding a ransom.

The police in Takoradi have started investigations into the circumstances that led to the disappearance of the pregnant woman.

The Western Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Olivia Adiku, has said the police were investigating to trace the whereabouts of the woman.

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According to the husband, she left home Thursday morning around 5:00am for a routine dawn walk and has since not returned.

She was last seen at Amoono road towards Paa Grant Roundabout in Takoradi in the Western Region.

It is believed an alleged kidnapper may have taken her there for a sacrifice to forest spirits.

44-year-old Siew reportedly abducted Pornsiri from outside the family home in a remote village in Chiang Mai province of Thailand on Sunday afternoon September 5.

At the time of the disappearance of the minor who was playing in front of their house, her mother Malee Pasee, 23 was cooking in the kitchen and her father Suriya Wongsilaruang, 43, was taking rubbish to a tip around two miles from their home. 

She was discovered missing after her mother finished cooking but did not hear a response. 

Neighbours said they last saw Pornsiri walking on the road around 10 metres away from home.

More than 200 police officers, rescue workers and volunteers searched through nearby homes and woodland for the missing girl.

Sniffer dogs, aerial search drones and a diving team were also looking for Gina in various places where she could have strayed.

After the suspect who is a Myammar national and a friend of the girl’s father was arrested on Monday, September 6, he allegedly admitted kidnapping the youngster and leaving her in a cave around two miles from the family home.

It was also learnt that when questioned on Tuesday, September 7, Siew reportedly refused to co-operate with officers before breaking down after being grilled throughout the night.

Pornsiri was finally rescued from a wooden hut next to the water-logged cave on Wednesday afternoon September 8. 

She was wearing only a shirt, was covered in insect bites and appeared exhausted but was standing on her own and laughing with the rescue teams.

Medics then rushed her to the hospital for a test. 

Siew who spoke to journalists said forest spirits told him to sacrifice a child to the ghost.

He said: “The forest spirits were telling me to sacrifice a child to the ghost, so I carried Gina and left her in front of the cave. I did not kill her.”

The girl’s mother who broke down in tears when her daughter was found, said:

 “I have been praying all day and night for my baby to come home safely

This includes three pistols and 52 live ammunition, retrieved from the accused persons to firm up its case against the accused.

The prosecution, led by Principal State Attorney, Ms Winnifred Sarpong tendered the evidence at the court presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo through the eleventh prosecution witness, Detective Corporal Augustine Dery during the examination-in-chief on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. 

The prosecution also tendered in seven empty shells retrieved from the crime scene in Kumasi where the girls had been held captive in 2019.

Not guilty

The four accused persons, Samson Agharlor alias Romeo. Elvis Ojiyorwe, Jeff Omarsar and Yusif Yakubu are currently standing trial on charges of conspiracy to kidnap and two counts of kidnapping.

They have pleaded not guilty to the offences.

Other exhibits

Also tendered in evidence was a metallic box and a picture of a hand grenade found at the crime scene as well as a report on the grenade.

However, Detective Dery, in tendering his exhibits in evidence explained that he and the anti-robbery unit of the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) where he works, did not receive the grenade after submitting it to the Base Ammunitions Depot for examination.

“My Lord, the Base Ammunitions Depo did not return the hand grenade to us and they maintained that our custody is not safe for keeping it but I have a picture of the said grenade which I wish to tender in evidence,” he said.

The hearing continues on July 22.

Kidnapping plot

The facts of the case as presented by Ms Craig were that Aghalor who had been in Ghana for some time became a friend to Yakubu in March 2019.

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In the course of their friendship, Aghalor brought up the idea of kidnapping as a lucrative venture, an idea that was accepted by Yakubu. Yakubu agreed to assist Aghalor in the kidnapping activity and even helped him to procure a pistol.

To bring their idea into fruition, the prosecutor said, Aghalor went to Nigeria in May 2019 and recruited Ojiyorwe and Omarsar to be part of the gang.

According to her, the three Nigerians, upon their arrival in Ghana, resided at Ashaiman for some time before they went to Kumasi to meet up with Yakubu.

When they got to Kumasi, Aghalor, who was the leader of the gang, gave some money to Yakubu to hire a car, an apartment and also buy pistols and other items to enable them to carry out their kidnapping activities.

Kidnapping of Canadians

Ms Craig said on June 4, 2019, the gang, in a car, accosted the two Canadian ladies, who had boarded an Uber taxi at their hostel at Nhyiayeso, a suburb of Kumasi.

“They were accosted by the gang when they arrived at their destination and alighted from the Uber taxi. Aghalor, Ojiyorwe, Omarsar and Yakubu assaulted the victims and forced them into their vehicle amid shooting.

They then sped off with their victims to their hideout, which was in an uncompleted building at Kenyasi Krobo, another suburb of Kumasi,” the prosecutor added.

During their captivity, Aghalor contacted the families of the two women and demanded a ransom of $800,000.

Rescue

Ms Craig told the court that on June 11, 2019, a National Security team, led by Colonel Micheal Opoku, and acting on intelligence, arrested Yakubu.

Afterwards, the team proceeded to arrest Aghalor, Ojiyorwe and Omarsar at their hideout at Kenyasi Krobo and rescued the two women.

“During the rescue mission, Ojiyorwe and Omarsar threatened to kill the victims if the security agents dared them. They exchanged fire with the security agents until they were overpowered and arrested,” she said.

The prosecutor added that Aghalor, Ojiyorwe, Omarsar and Yakubu mentioned Nasir and Abubakari as members of the gang and the two were subsequently arrested.

On­yekachukwu, who was arrested by the Force Intelligence Response Team, led by Abba Kyari, was reported missing on June 16, 2021, by his brother, identified as Prosper.

Prosper claimed that the kidnappers demanded a huge amount of money before he could be set free, but their theory seemed suspicious.

The police arrested his wife, Mary, and during interrogations, she confessed that her husband had gone for a business trip before adding that she saw her husband about a week ago but that his family members thought he had been in captivity at the kidnappers’ camp for three weeks.

She revealed that the entire saga was a planned and orchestrated self-kidnap. She confessed that her hus­band brought the idea and that she played along because she was taught to be submissive to her husband in every situation.

According to her, her husband had finan­cial challenges and that he was look­ing for a way to raise money to pay off the loans he collected.

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Armed with all this infor­mation, the police laid an am­bush for which led to his arrest the next day.

Following his arrest, Pastor Richard made a confessional statement that also led the po­lice to arrest his friend, Enoch, who posed as one of the kidnappers.

“I am a pastor and contractor. I had a big church, but the roof was blown away by the wind. I took some loans to assist the businesses that I was doing to support the min­istry. It was about N600K.

Due to this, I found myself in financial challenges. At the same time, paying the loan became difficult. I made some losses in my poultry business and the Covid-19 pandemic did not help matters.

“The banks were after me and I didn’t know what to do. I was thinking of getting money from my younger brother, Prosper, a rich civil servant, to offset the loan be­fore I was dragged to court. It wasn’t easy; that was why the thought of self-kidnap came to me. I don’t know why I decided to use that strategy,” he said.

The suspect, Suluka Abimbola and her boyfriend Oluwaseun Daniel Olajide, 20, were napped by the police in Ekiti State.

The command’s spokesperson, ASP Sunday Abutu, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti, said one Bolaji Femi of Bawa Estate, had reported at New Iyin Divisional Police Headquarters on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, that her sister, Suluka Abimbola, left home for school on June 15, and did not return home.

She further narrated that when Suluka Abimbola’s phone number was called, an unknown person picked and confirmed that Suluka Abimbola was in their custody but would not be released until a ransom of N500,000 is paid to a particular Union Bank Account belonging to one Adisa Damilola.

The case was immediately transferred to the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the State CID where the owner of the account, one ADISA DAMILOLA, who is also a friend to Oluwaseun Daniel Olajide, was tracked and arrested.

Adisa Damilola led the Operatives of the Anti-kidnapping Unit to a hotel where Suluka Abimbola and her boyfriend, alongside one other accomplice, Adefolaju Caleb, were lodging and were arrested.

“During interrogation, Suluka Abimbola said she decided to conspire with the other suspects to do that in order for her to raise money from her family members to enable her to relocate from Ekiti State since her Mother insisted that she goes through a medical field as against her dream of becoming an Actress,” ASP Sunday Abutu.

Instead, he said he was trained on how to use AK-47 weapons and served as a guard for abducted victims.

Consequently, when he was being pressured by his superiors, he discharged his gun and hit two of them.

“The boy, who demonstrated skills in handling AK-47, also confessed to have been bullied by some elderly bandits, who provoked him, and as a result, he picked up an AK-47 rifle and shot dead two of the elderly bandits,” the Police said.

Alfred Chikere, 38, was put before the Magistrate Court with two counts of abduction and defilement of a teenager.

According to reports, the accused was sent to prison custody until his bail application was entertained for camping the 12-year-old girl while her parents launched a search for her whereabouts.

However, the story changed when the victim was brought to testify, stating she consented to every intimacy they had since the last month of her supposed abduction.

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The Prosecutor, ASP Omorujia, further told the court that the man abducted the girl as a virgin and deflowered her during the one month he took her in.

But, the girl clearly told the court that the accused was not her first boyfriend and that she willingly went to the man’s house to stay because she likes sex.

Aside this, the girl’s mother had also reportedly collected N40,000  to discontinue the case, until an activist, John Millar, who is handling the matter informed the Center for Basic Rights And Accountability Campaign.

Some of the suspects, identified as 30-year-old Michael Eneji, Nwachukwu Emeka, 22, and Success Okeke, 27 are currently languishing behind cells.

They were recently arrested by men of the Force Intelligence Response team, following a report by the family of one of their victims, Michael Victor, after he went missing on the 6th of January, 2021.

It was upon interrogation by the operatives that the suspects confessed to have killed the victim the very day they kidnapped him.

Going into details of the crime, the alleged ringleader, Eneji a.k.a General, said he had been into kidnapping and armed robbery since 2011 and revealed their modus operandi and stated he had been operating under the cover of being a naval officer.

“We normally pose as women on most of these dating sites. As soon as we lure our victims, we will arrange for a meeting. If the target becomes very stubborn we will bring a lady member of our gang who will speak with the man,” he said.

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Eneji added that they always go as far using an app to change their voices to sound as women and convince their victims of sexual satisfaction and when the victims agree, they lay ambush for them on their way to a meeting point.

Once the victims get to the meeting point, the suspects, dressed in military uniforms, seize their valuables, tie them up and move them to a forest to be murdered.

The move follows a complaint by one of the victim’s parents who informed the police that their daughter had not been home after school since Friday.

Last Friday, the two final year pupils were reported to have been kidnapped by an unidentified person.

According to reports, the girls, after the close of school, were said to have picked a taxi home.

On their way, the taxi driver diverted from the main route and took the pupils to an obscure area around Suame Magazine.

One of the victims is said to have called her brother with a phone which was mistakenly left behind by one of the suspects.

She revealed that they were being raped by the men holding them in captive.  

The victim also mentioned that about 10 other people had been kidnapped.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti regional police command has deployed more men to rescue the girls and other victims.

She recalled how she was redirected to the area to purchase Electricity Company of Ghana prepaid credit after the vendor in her vicinity complained her server had run down.

As she reached the Asante Line dusty route to Tafo, where she was headed, she said she bypassed the three normal-looking gentlemen, as she described them.

But, few steps after she was in the lead, one of the gentlemen in a blue top and trouser chloroformed her before his accomplice, dressed in black and white stripe top, carried her into the car.

The third suspect was the driver who was already positioned in the car ready to take-off.

“When the man covered my nose with the handkerchief, I became weak and they carried me into the car. I asked where they were taking me to, which they replied that they wanted to show me something. I tried to hide my phone and my money, but they told me not to bother myself because they were not after that.”

She continued that she lost consciousness later, only to wake up seated in front of a fat woman, believed to be the ritualist.

On how she survived the suspected ritual attack, she added that the said woman ordered them to send her away because “I don’t like this one, I don’t like fair people.”

The victim said the now angry trio drove her back to Asante line where they abducted her, and abandoned her by the roadside.

“When we got there, they asked me to step out, but I was too weak so one of them pushed me out of the car and they drove away. I managed to call my parents who came for me shortly afterwards,” she recounted.

Meanwhile, the girl’s superstitious mother, who told Joy News she was dumbfounded by the incident, attributed her daughter’s safety to her menstrual period, which she explained has the power to ward off any evil intention.

Temi, as reported by Kemifilani, is said to be an apprentice at the wife, identified as Stella’s shop, but was allegedly warming the bed of her madam’s husband.

The mother of the missing baby, Mrs Stella Babatunde, while narrating her ordeal to newsmen said her husband brought Temitope to her as an apprentice.

Stella pointed out that her husband lied to her that the lady was his friend’s wife but she later found out that they were having illicit affairs, but she maintained her cool.

However, after bathing the baby girl on the fateful day, Temi took permission from Stella to rock the baby to sleep.

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“I later gave her my ATM card to help me withdraw N3,000 that was transferred to my account by a customer at a nearby POS stand. But she never returned, as she escaped with the new born baby and my ATM card,” she said.

Stella added that her husband was almost lynched by an irate mob for not showing concern over the missing baby.

He was later arrested where he confessed that the suspect was his girlfriend, but denied knowledge of his child’s disappearance.

However, when his plans did not materialise, Mrs Chizoba was thrown into the well and left for dead while her child was moved to a different location.

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The kidnapper was arrested by some military personnel on his way to the unknown location and confessed his crime out of panic.

Upon getting to the old site, the personnel discovered the woman was still alive three days after she was thrown into the well.

According to information, the boy was kidnapped by alleged ritualists in the area when he was left unattended to by his guardian who was attending to natures call.

In an interview with Adom News, caretaker of the little boy, Victoria Akosua, said she saw a man with sack, popularly know as ‘Efiewura suame’ and her instinct immediately was on alert.

Mother of the child, Bernice Victor, who could not control her tears, spoke to Adom News and called on Ghanaians to come to her aid.

Help, however, did not come on time and the little boy was discovered floating on discoloured water in a manhole.

The suspect, Halidu Sambo was among a five member kidnapping gang that kidnapped the victim.

According to the police on February 28 at about 2300 hours the chief called his son, Abubakari Yahaya on his mobile phone to know his whereabouts but somebody else picked the call and told him his son had been kidnapped.

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This development led Abubakari Ibrahim of Tease together with Sariki Sambo Idrrisa the Fulani Chief of Donkorkrom to report to the police about his missing son on February 29, at about 1750 hours,

The police said the suspects demanded an amount of GHC 5,000.00 from him before his son will be freed and a day after the ransom was paid, the victim was released.

Halidu Sambo, during investigations was arrested and kept in police custody where he mentioned one “DENJI” 28-years-old as the leader of the gang.

Meanwhile, the police are on manhunt for the other four suspects who the police believe, are all of Fulani descent.

The victim, Yakubu Abban, who reportedly went missing on Sunday February 16, 2020, was found with the suspect at Jamaica, an area around the Akim Asuboa enclave.

Police reports indicate the suspect, identified as Ebenezer Oko, is a first-year school dropout of Atweaman SHS at Akim Manso.

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The suspect is said to have been arrested on his way to withdrawing money sent to his account by the police from a mobile money merchant.

A statement from the District Inspector, George Oteng Apau who is in charge of the case said Mr Oko was arrested around 10:45 am on Monday, February 16, 2020.

The afro-pop singer was seen with a microphone at the podium of the church, as she thanked God for his revelations before pleading with Ghanaians not to attack the pastor.

She disclosed that Pastor Appiah wasn’t the first person to ‘see’ and prophesy her possible kidnap hence the need to do the needful to overcome any such occurrence.

Meanwhile, elated Wendy Shay climaxed her speech with a gospel performance.

Prophet Akwasi Appiah had prophesied during one of his services that the singer would be kidnapped for 21 days.

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According to him, Wendy Shay, if not careful, would later be killed for rituals and her body left to rot.

The prophecy attracted mixed reactions with many people condemning the pastor for the way he delivered his message.

Wendy Shay, however, said in reaction to the pastor’s prophecy she was not troubled, saying it is not right for people to attack the pastor as she entreated her fans to pray for the prophecy to be averted.

Sharing a video of the prophecy on her Twitter handle, the ‘Uber Driver’ hitmaker explained that God revealed to redeem.