Vigilante group arrests kidnapper as JTF rescues two victims
A vigilante group in Rivers State has arrested a kidnap suspect, Gift James, involved in the abduction of two widows and wives of late Thompson Bob of Ihuaba Community of Ahoada East Local Government Area.
The group known as Vigilante Group of Nigeria also assisted the Joint Military Task Force to rescue the widows known as Mrs. Mary Bob and Mrs. Comfort Bob from the hands of their abductors.
Speaking with newsmen on Saturday, the Commandant of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in Ahoada East, Mr. Justine Ayah, said nine suspected kidnappers had on May 25, 2014, invaded the residence of late Bob in Ihuaba community at about 3am and whisked away the two widows.
Ayah disclosed that the kidnappers had asked the family of their victims for a N20million ransom and added that the hoodlums only reduced the ransom to N18million when the family of their victims maintained that they could only pay N3 million for the late Bob’s widows to be released.
Explaining that his men were grounded in 23 local government areas of the state, Ayah stated that they were able to discover that the kidnappers were from the same community with the widows.
“One of the abductors of Mrs. Mary and Mrs. Comfort Thompson Bob (widows), identified as Gift James was apprehended by men of the VGN and handed over to the State Anti-robbery Squad in Ahoada East, for further investigation, while one Grass and seven others are currently on the run.
“In the course of our investigation, we were able to know that the kidnappers are from the same community with the kidnapped widows. We were able to found out that the widows were kidnapped in Ahoada East Local Government Area and taken to a forest in Rumuodogo II in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“After combing the forest known as a dump site for kidnappers for three consecutive times, we gave a call to the kidnappers, informing them that we known them already and asked them (kidnappers) to release the widows unconditionally and without harm,” Ayah said.
The vigilante commander pointed out that the threat to the Chief of Rumuodogo 2 Community, Chief Ataya Isih, that the entire village would be set ablaze if the widows were not released, prompted the kidnappers to abandon the widows in the forest and took to their heels.
The matter was reported to the Joint Task Force (JTF) and their swift response made their collective search for the widows in the forest easy and subsequently rescued them.
Contacted, the State Assistant Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the arrest of the kidnapper and the rescue of the two widows.
