Monarch kidnapped, 1 killed by unknown gunmen in Kogi

There’s palpable tension on Tuesday evening as unknown gunmen abducted the Ajaokuta first class monarch, on the ever busy Okene- Ajaokuta road in Kogi State.

There was also a report that gunmen numbering 10 stormed a pharmacy shop at about 3 p.m on Monday located at Ozuwaya quarters in the heart of Okene and abducted its Managing Director, Obajimoh.

While the kidnappers shots sporadically, their bullets fell one who was identified as Habeeb Anda and died while two others were seriously injured and are receiving treatment at an unidentified hospital.

The abducted traditional ruler, Adogu of Eganyi in Ajaokuta local government area of Kogi State, Alhaji Mohammed Adembe was on Tuesday was said to have been travelling from Okene to his base when he was kidnapped.

The kidnapping of the Royal Father which was one out of many in recent time occurred barely three days after the kidnap of Pharmacist AbdulAzeez Obajimoh the Managing Director of AZECO Pharmaceutical company at Ozuwaya in Okene, Kogi State.

Source, an indegene of Eganyi who spoke to journalists on phone said the royal father who was alone in his car left Okene town around 4pm on his way to Eganyi community, but was abducted between Ebiya and Eganyi by hoodlums suspected to be kidnappers.

According to him, the kidnappers around 1 pm on Wednesday called the family of the monarch and demanded for a ransom of N30 million naira to enable him regain his freedom.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relation Officer , Kogi State Police Command Mr William Ayah said the Royal Father was kidnapped, but the police command has deployed special squad to trail the abductors.

He called on the general public to assist the police with useful information to enable security agents rescue the royal father.

Meanwhile, kidnappers’ vehicle was said to have broken down but undaunted, they abandoned it and took their victim on foot, in broad day light and shooting sporadically to scare the helpless onlookers, some of whom ran for cover.

Sources added that the suspects made Azeez to trek from Ozuwaya to Agassa junction, where they secured a Jeep at gun point, clamped in their victim into the vehicle and zoomed off to unknown destination.

The mother inlaw to the victim, who didn’t want to be named in an interview with the media outfit in Okene on Wednesday, said though the family had been eager to hear from the suspects, “we have not heard any information from them since they took away my son inlaw.”

She begged the suspects to communicate with the family, with a view to tabling their demand for possible settlement, to ensure the release of Azeez.

Some members of the public who spoke described Azeez as a compassionate human being who sell drugs to customers at much cheaper rate, thereby helping the sick to have access to drugs with relative ease.

They urged the suspects to release Azeez,at least on account of his good deeds to the sick and common man in Okene and its environs.

When contacted at about on Wednesday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Police Command in the state,DSP William Aya, promised to contact the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Okene Local Government Area and reach out to the media outfit.