News
How driver handed abducted Oyo NYSC member to k!dnappers
- /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot_20250228-125641.jpg&description=How driver handed abducted Oyo NYSC member to k!dnappers', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot_20250228-125641.jpg&description=How driver handed abducted Oyo NYSC member to k!dnappers', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Aminat Lawal, the sister of the abducted National Youth Service Corps member, Rofiat Lawal, who was kidnapped along the Benin-Ore Expressway on Tuesday, has disclosed that her sister was handed over to the abductors who were suspected Fulanis by the driver conveying them.
Aminat disclosed this in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Metro on Thursday.
PUNCH Metro reports that Rofiat was abducted by yet-to-be-identified kidnappers while returning to her Place of Primary Assignment in Oyo State.
A friend of the victim identified as Agbakwara, who raised the alarm about Rofiat’s kidnap in a post on Facebook on Wednesday, noted that the abductors were demanding the sum of N20m for her release.
Agbakwara wrote, “My close friend, Lawal Rofiat Kofoworola, was kidnapped on her way from Benin to Ibadan to resume her PPA in Ogbomosho. She managed to call on Thursday and told me she was on an Ore-bound bus when she was taken.
“This is someone who has struggled all her life, supporting herself through university by working at the Dufil company in Benin. Now, kidnappers are demanding N20 million, and we don’t know what to do. Her parents are less privileged and can’t afford this.
“I have reported to the NYSC Secretariat in Ibadan and dropped her call-up number, but there has been no response. We are exhausted and desperate for help.”
Speaking with our correspondent, Aminat disclosed that her sister narrated that the driver conveying them from Benin stopped at Ore where the kidnappers came out from a nearby bush and took them while the driver zoomed off.
She narrated that when the kidnappers contacted them, they demanded N25m ransom for her release, which they pleaded they could not pay, but after several back and forth, they lowered the demand to N5m.
Aminat said, “She contacted us on Tuesday to tell us that she was kidnapped and she said that the driver of the car she boarded was the one who dropped them at the spot where she was kidnapped alongside other passengers.
“When we spoke with the kidnappers, they asked us to bring N25m and we told them that we did not have such money. She is the one who sponsored herself in school. They have reduced the ransom to N5m.”
Meanwhile, the family had resorted to crowdfunding to raise the ransom as requested by the abductors.
In a follow-up conversation with Agbakwara, on Thursday, he noted that the family had resorted to crowdfunding to raise the ransom demanded by the abductors while corroborating the claim that the abducted corper was handed over to her abductors by the driver.
“This evening, the kidnappers allowed my friend and the other victims to call their families. She told me in tears that they were handed over to the Fulani kidnappers after the vehicle they were in dropped them off and drove away. They are all female and have been suffering without food since they were taken.
“The kidnappers are demanding N20m, but she begged that we help raise any amount at all to begin negotiations. She has already spent two days in captivity, and we don’t know what will happen next. We are scared and desperate for help.
Please, Nigerians, any amount you can donate will go a long way. We can’t wait any longer. Let’s come together and help bring her back safely,” Agbakwara said.
The Oyo State NYSC Coordinator, Odoba Abel Oche, who confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent earlier on Thursday, noted that the victim had left Oyo State for Edo State without notifying the state’s NYSC leadership.
He stressed that security operatives had been alerted to the situation for necessary action while saying that he was not aware if any ransom had been requested by the abductors.
“Her parents reported the incident to us yesterday. We were not aware of the incident before her parents reported it.
“We have contacted the national headquarters, the Ondo and Edo NYSC and we have also alerted security agencies for necessary action. I am not aware if the kidnappers have reached out to demand ransom.
“She went home to Benin without informing the NYSC authority against the instruction of the NYSC. The NYSC has continued to emphasise to corps members the need to always notify the authorities before they travel and to also avoid night travels,” Oche said.
Efforts to get the reaction of the Ondo Police Public Relations Office, Odunlami, proved abortive as she had yet to respond to calls made to her line as at the time of filing this report.
There are growing concerns over the renewed surge in kidnapping which has left no fewer than five other persons captive in the last two weeks.
On February 17, some gunmen kidnapped the National President of the Afenifere Youth Council, Eniola Ojajuni, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Similarly, four female students of the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, Benue State were abducted on the university’s campus by yet-to-be-identified gunmen on Tuesday.
PUNCH Metro reported in July 2024 that some abducted corps members from Ondo State said the family of each of the victims paid a sum of N1 million before they were set free.
The five victims, who include four corps members and one artisan, were kidnapped by the bandits at about 11 pm at Omi Alafa Village in Ifon, Ose Local Government Area, and dragged the victims into the forest.
The corps members were said to be going back home after the three-week National Youth Service Corps Orientation camp in Enugu and Abia States. It was gathered that the driver and one passenger sitting in front of the vehicle were shot dead by the bandits
PUNCH
News
38-Year-Old Islamic Teacher Remanded Over Alleged Defilement of Two Minors During Quranic Classes
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
An Islamic scholar in Adamawa State, 38-year-old Sagir Sani, has been accused of def+ling two female students aged 8 and 9.
Sani, who teaches at an Islamic school in Numan Local Government Area, allegedly took the two girls behind the school’s classrooms, where he reportedly sexually assaulted them.
According to the prosecuting police officer, ASP Zakka Musa, the teacher allegedly lured the victims to the secluded area before committing the offences.
Sani was subsequently arraigned before Chief Magistrate’s Court I in Yola on charges including indecent treatment, sexual assault and defilement. The court ordered that he be remanded over the allegations.
The police prosecutor informed the court on Monday that the mother of one of the alleged victims reported the incident at the Divisional Police Headquarters in Numan on August 7, 2026.
According to the prosecutor, the woman alleged that the defendant, 38-year-old Sagir Sani, defiled the two girls while they were attending Quranic recitation classes.
When the charges were read and explained to Sani during his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Following his plea, the prosecuting police officer requested an adjournment to allow the prosecution to forward the case diary to the state Department of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
The court granted the application and ordered that Sani be remanded pending further proceedings.
The Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit has revealed new tactics allegedly being used by terrorist financiers to move funds, including the use of bank accounts belonging to women and telephone lines registered in the names of deceased persons.
The revelation was contained in the NFIU’s 2025 Annual Report, which also identified crowdfunding, proxy accounts and remittance platforms as channels increasingly exploited to finance terrorist activities.
According to the report, foreign-based facilitators have been using social media to solicit donations purportedly meant for humanitarian or educational causes before routing the proceeds through several layers to operatives in Nigeria.
The agency said donors were often encouraged to make relatively small payments which were subsequently consolidated in accounts controlled by senior members of the networks.
The funds were then split into smaller transfers and sent through international money transfer operators and remittance applications to individuals acting as money mules.
The NFIU identified students, small business owners and relatives among those allegedly used to receive the funds, which could later be converted to cash or used to acquire items such as motorcycles, fertiliser and satellite communication equipment.
The agency also raised concern over the use of women as fronts, saying terrorist financiers sometimes opened accounts in the names of wives, sisters or female associates while secretly controlling the cards, PINs and mobile banking credentials.
It added that pre-registered SIM cards and telephone numbers linked to deceased persons were being used for mobile banking and transaction alerts, making it difficult for investigators to establish the real beneficiaries of suspicious transactions.
The report further noted that some terrorist cells, including those linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province, employed coded or seemingly ordinary transaction descriptions to conceal the purpose of payments and evade automated banking filters.
Security analysts subsequently urged financial institutions and intelligence agencies to strengthen identity verification, intelligence sharing and tracking of illicit financial flows.
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio, has congratulated the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, CFR, mni, on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
In a congratulatory message through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, the President of the Senate described the revered Islamic leader as an exemplary statesman whose life has been defined by service, wisdom, faith and an unwavering commitment to the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.
Senator Akpabio commended the Sultan’s distinguished reign, noting that his leadership has consistently reflected grace, wisdom, courage and a profound sense of responsibility to the nation.
“Your reign as the Sultan of Sokoto has been defined by grace, statesmanship and an unwavering commitment to peace, unity and national cohesion. At 70, you remain a father to all and a moral compass for our nation.
“Today, we celebrate not merely the years you have attained, but the remarkable impact of your life and leadership. The bridges you have built across our diverse nation, your advocacy for good governance, peaceful coexistence and national unity, as well as your commitment to the dignity and welfare of all Nigerians, constitute a remarkable legacy of service.
The President of the Senate further acknowledged the Sultan’s influential role in promoting interfaith dialogue, peaceful coexistence and national reconciliation, stressing that his voice of wisdom and moderation remains invaluable at a time when Nigeria needs greater understanding, tolerance and unity.
Senator Akpabio, on behalf of his family, constituents and the 10th Senate, prayed Almighty Allah to grant the Sultan many more years in good health, wisdom and strength, so that he may continue his noble service to the Ummah and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“As you mark this significant milestone, may Almighty Allah continue to preserve, strengthen, and bless you with many more years of good health and fulfilment. May your reign continue to be a source of peace, wisdom and inspiration to the Ummah and to our beloved Nigeria.”
Happy 70th Birthday, Your Eminence. May Allah continue to bless and preserve you in His service and in the service of humanity and our nation.
38-Year-Old Islamic Teacher Remanded Over Alleged Defilement of Two Minors During Quranic Classes
Terrorists are exploiting dead persons accounts, women’s details to fund attacks- NFIU
Usain Bolt proposes to longtime partner Kasi Bennett after 13 years courtship
-
News11 hours agoNigerian Council Of Legal Education Bans Atiba University From Offering Law For 10 Years
-
News11 hours agoFG excludes Makinde from Ibadan-Ijebu-Ode Road flag-off, Oyo govt reacts
-
Politics11 hours agoAPC Campaign Council: Meet 14 governors tasked with delivering Tinubu in 2027
-
News11 hours agoOby Ezekwesili Reveals ‘Only Achievement’ Recorded Under Tinubu
-
News11 hours agoCanada announces recruitment of nurses, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists from Nigeria, other nations
-
News11 hours agoUS visitor Visa: How To Prove You Will Return To Nigeria After Your Trip
-
Entertainment11 hours agoOgogo’s Burial: Yinka Quadri, wife, Ilaro weep as Nollywood Stars bid Actor farewell
-
News11 hours agoFG Releases New Operational Guidelines For WAEC, NECO Students’ Assessment Records
Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login