By Okey Maduforo
No fewer than six Six persons were reportedly kidnapped by suspected Fulani Herdsmen at Dubai Estate in Awka Capital City, in the last three weeks.
It was equally gathered that the four out of the six victims paid a total of ₦75 million as ransom before they were released.
According to residents, the suspected herdsmen operate along Federal Road Safety Corps from the Onitsha – Awka- Enugu Express Way into the Dubai Estate.
At the Dubai Estate near NNPC station connecting Dozzy Estate and Four Way junction before the second gate of Ngozika Estate the herdsmen kidnapped a Professor who allegedly paid the sum of ₦31 million while a young man driving a Toyota Highlander who had rented a house was kidnapped along with his fiancee and the sum of ₦45 million was allegedly paid as ransom.
Also a boy and two girls were kidnapped by the suspected herdsmen and it is not clear if they have been released or any ransom paid.
It was also reported that a Toyota Camry salon that was burnt in front of a fuel station along the express way belonged to a young man who fled from his car when the suspected Kidnappers tried to abduct him .
The gunmen allegedly shot at the car and it went up in flames while the boy ran into a building in the area for safety.
When contacted the Police Public Relations Officer SP Tochikwu Ikenga said the Command is on top of the investigation but pleaded that it is not proper to begin to expose the undercover operations of the Command as it would jeopardize intelligence gathering.
“The Command intercepted the voice note made by yet unidentified individual of alleged abduction/kidnapping incident and has made deliberate security arrangements to nip on board such incident or otherwise in the state capital”
“The Command encourages the victims to come forward to assist us with information for an investigation, please” he said.
At the moment residents in the area now go home early in order not to be caught napping by the suspected herders.
Also the residents take the second route to Dubai Estate through Ngozika Estate for safety while motorists avoid stopping passengers at the Dubai Estate junction as from 7 pm .
According to a shuttle driver ; “I dropped two persons at that junction and as I was about moving they started shouting at me to stop and carry them as according to them a woman was taken away by some people with guns adding that another person was on the ground in a pool of blood” he narrated.
