Kidnapped doctor's wife rescued after a shoot out

The wife of the medical doctor attached to Oleh General Hospital, Mrs.Efe Aluta has been rescued after a fierce gun battle between the kidnappers and Joint Task Force (JTF).

Vanguard gathered that she was rescued by the soldiers attached to the JTF on Wednesday night at Kiagbodo.

It was not however ascertained if the N20m demanded by the kidnappers were paid or not.

State police command spokesman, Mr. Charles Muka when contacted confirmed the story but declined to give details.

Meanwhile the State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan had disclosed that kidnappers now recruit drivers, stewards, cooks and family members into the exercise.

Speaking while receiving reports from the committee set-up to look into the handover of schools in the state to their former owners on Wednesday, Uduaghan said some of those who allegedly kidnapped (doctor's wife) Barrister Mariam Aluta, the daughter-in-law of the Chairman of the State Post Primary Education Board have been arrested.

"I want to assure you that kidnapping is being checked in the state. We have mapped out strong strategy to check the incident and it is reducing."

He said security operatives were still on the trail of the remaining suspects and promised to ensure that they were apprehended in no distant future.

The governor who said victims would always be discouraged from paying ransom said even when ransom has been paid security operatives will still trail and arrest the criminals.

Dr. Uduaghan said his administration has adopted strong strategy that will check kidnap incident in the state and changed Deltans to be vigilant.

He explained that it was as a result of the stringent measures put in place by the police and other security operatives that reduced the rate of kidnapping in the state.

Vanguard

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Nigeria to put Air Marshals on US bound flights

Nigeria said it will soon deploy air marshals on its flights to the United States to increase security after the foiled Christmas day attack on a U.S. airliner by a Nigerian man, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab. 

Nigerian Aviation Minister Babatunde Omotoba told reporters Wednesday that the United States approached Nigeria about putting air marshals on its U.S.-bound flights.

Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority Director Harold Demuren said the decision demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to aviation security. 

“Definitely we believe that this is a demonstration that our country is completely committed to aviation security,” he said.

Since the Christmas day foiled attack on a U.S. airliner bound for the city of Detroit, the United States has moved to place Nigeria on a security watch list and invoked extra screening for passengers from Nigeria to the United States.

Demuren said the Nigerian government has made known its displeasure with the new U.S. restrictions.

“We are not happy that we are listed. We are very dissatisfied about this and we have made it very clear.  We hope that this will be revisited very quickly,” Demuren said.

He said since the attempted airline bombing of a U.S.-bound airliner by Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, Nigeria has taken additional measures to enhance aviation security.

“We have had 100 percent examination at our airports, we are introducing three-D full-body scanners, we are doing second screening of all hand luggage, we have met all ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) security directives,” he said.

Demuren said Nigeria has also passed U.S. Transportation Security Administration audit twice for Lagos and Abuja airports.

He said the request to put air marshals on U.S.-bound flights came from the Obama administration and Nigeria consented.

Demuren said Nigeria will ask the United States to help train air marshals.

VOA

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18 Suspected Boko Haram Members Arraigned in Court

WULARI Magistrate Court 5 yesterday ordered 18 suspected members of the Boko Haram sect who allegedly took part in the July 2009 sectarian crisis in Maiduguri to be remanded in prison custody.

The presiding, Chief Magistrate Waziri Mohammed, while in ruling that his court lacked the jurisdiction to listen to the case transferred the case to the Federal High Court was Maiduguri. He ordered that the suspects be kept in prison custody, while the case adjourned to Febuary 21.

The Borno state Police command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Isa Azare told newsmen that the suspects were arrested last week at various locations in Maiduguri but declined to comment whether they were carrying weapons.

Earlier, when the case came up for mention, prosecuting counsel from the Borno state Ministry of Justice, Bukar Bundi told the court that the suspects were being arraigned on 10-count charge of criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, membership of unlawful assembly and joint assembly armed with deadly weapons.

Other charges, according to the prosecutor, were voluntary causing grievous hurt to deter public servants from their duties, mischief by fire, culpable homicide and treason all contrary to sections 96, 79, 80, 102 and 103, 252 and 221 of the Penal Code and Sections 24, 410 and 415 of Federal Province Act of Northern Nigeria of 1964.

Although the accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges, Bundi, however, prayed the court to remand them in prison custody to enable him gather more facts on the case. Counsel to the defendants, Ali Modu did not object to the prayer.

Daily Champion

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