Gunmen kidnap Navy commander in Ondo

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Tuesday evening abducted a naval officer along Owo/Ikare Akoko Road of Ondo State.

The Navy commander whose identity remains unknown was said to be travelling to Abuja when the gunmen stopped his vehicle and dragged him into the bush along Ose/Oba Akoko Road, in Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State.

A police officer who informed Nigerian Tribune of the abduction, however, said the gunmen were demanding N50 million for the release of the naval officer.

According to him, a joint rescue team had been assigned to comb the forest in the area to secure the release of the naval officer.

He disclosed that Officer of 323 Artillery Brigade Command of the Nigerian Army in Ondo State had visited the scene of the incident to assess the situation and interrogate some residents of the area.

He noted that kidnapping has taken a new dimension in the area and some other areas of Auga/ Akunnu, Ose /Oba area in Akoko North-East and Ose local government areas of the state in recent times.

He said despite the presence of security operatives on the road, the kidnapper has turned the route to their den, saying no fewer than ten people have been abducted in the area in the last one month.

Confirming the abduction, the state Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) Mr Tee-Leo Ikoro, said tactical squads have been deployed to the area to curtail the spate of kidnapping along the axis of the road.

He assured that the victim would regain his freedom from the hoodlums without being hurt.

He explained that the police have sought the support of the host communities in a bid to checkmate and curtail crime on the said road.

The police image maker, however, advised travellers on that axis of the road to be security conscious while on transit, adding that the job of effective crime prevention, detection and control is for everybody and not for the police alone.

The abduction of the Naval Officer is coming days after the reported abduction and subsequent release of an Army Captain by some hoodlums on the axis of the road.

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