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Tag: kidnappings

  • Dr. Congo: Gang in trial over Kinshasa taxi kidnappings

    Dr. Congo: Gang in trial over Kinshasa taxi kidnappings

    A trial has commenced in the Democratic Republic of Congo involving 27 individuals accused of participating in the kidnapping of taxi passengers in the capital city of Kinshasa.

    The accused include four police officers, six young women who allegedly acted as bait for the victims, and 17 others. The victims were subjected to various ordeals, with some being robbed and released, while others were held against their will for several days until a ransom was paid.

    Kinshasa, Africa’s third-largest metropolitan city after Cairo and Lagos, has over 30,000 registered taxis. However, due to the prevalence of these kidnappings, residents often feel fearful when using taxis.

    The trial is of particular significance as the authorities are preparing for the upcoming Francophone Games, a major competition that showcases sports and arts from French-speaking countries worldwide.

    With the games scheduled to commence on July 28, ensuring public safety and addressing the issue of taxi kidnappings is a top concern for the authorities.

  • Ekpe Ogbu: Gunmen kidnap commissioner for Housing in Northcentral Nigeria

    Ekpe Ogbu, the state of Benue’s housing and urban development commissioner, has been kidnapped.

    The Commissioner was kidnapped around 4 p.m. on Sunday at the notorious Adankari Junction on the Otukpo-Ado Road.
    On Sunday night, Colonel Paul Hemba, Governor Samuel Ortom’s security advisor, confirmed the incident to reporters.
    Governor Samuel Ortom

    He said that while rescue efforts have started and the police in Otukpo have found the Hilux van the victim was riding in, no contact has been made with the kidnappers.

    With at least three instances of kidnappings there, the Adankari Junction has turned into a hotspot for kidnapping activity.

    At the intersection on different days in the past, a priest, a professor from Benue State University, and an elected official from Otobi were all abducted.

    After being freed, the victims said the abductors were armed herdsmen terrorising the area’s residents and commuters.

    Meanwhile, Troops of Operation Whirl-Stroke (OPWS) covering Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states respectively Sunday proclaimed the arrest of two notorious kidnappers who have been terrorising residents of Zaki-Biam in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State and rescued some kidnapped victims.