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Kidnapping: Police to deploy special squad to S’West

 

The police authorities have said plans are underway to deploy a special squad to curb kidnappings, banditry and other forms of crime in the South-West region of the country.
Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Muhammed, made the disclosure on Wednesday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during a visit to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
In recent weeks, the South-West region has become a major hub for bandits robbing and abducting motorists for ransom.
Muhammed, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Abdulmajid Ali, said officers are currently undergoing training at a camp in Abuja and will soon be dispatched to all states in the South-West.
He said, “I decided to start with Ondo State before I travel to Ekiti and Osun states because Ondo is one of the focus areas in recent times.
“Security is one of the first pillars of any government in serving the people.
“If security is not provided, there won’t be peace in that area and the governor too would find it difficult to operate.
“In the next two weeks, a special squad will be deployed to Ondo and other South-West states to tackle kidnappings and other security issues.”
Governor Akeredolu, while speaking during the meeting, said that his administration was worried about the security challenges in Ondo.
Akeredolu, who was represented by his deputy, Agboola Ajayi, emphasised the need for the police to double their efforts at combating crime.
He said, “The police must engage the community and this is important.
“Even if you have 200,000 policemen in a community, you need the corporation of the people in that community for you to be able to carry out your job effectively.”
Mysterious fire kills motorist in Ilorin
By Kayode Adeoti and Abiodun Bolujoko
There was traffic knock down along Asa Dam road, Ilorin on Tuesday following a mysterious fire that engulfed a Mazda (Premacy) car and roasted the lone occupant of the vehicle to death.
The unidentified man who was burnt beyond recognition was said to be heading towards Offa Garage area before the unfortunate incident.
As at the time our reporters visited the scene around 10am, officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were seen using hammer and other metallic objects to break the door of the driver side in order to evacuate the remains of the occupant.
The roasted body was however packed inside a blue jacket and zipped up.
Also, the officials of the FRSC cordoned off a lane of the dual carriage way thereby diverting traffic to the other side of the road while the evacuation lasted.
The road users who have parked their vehicles and motorcycles at the other lane were seen in clusters discussing the ugly incident in emotional laden voice.
A motorcyclist, who identified himself as Ayinla and witnessed the tragic incident, claimed all efforts to put off the fire proved abortive.
He stressed that he was driving behind the car when fire suddenly emanated from the driver’s apartment and consumed the occupant.
“The man was not on speed, and he appeared to have the car air condition on when the fire suddenly stemmed from his seat.
“I tried to open the door from his side but it was already hooked, I ran to the other side, it was also locked, that was when I realised that it was on automatic lock. By the time I forced the door opened, I discovered that the man was tied to the seat belt.
“I could hear him saying, I cannot lose the belt even as he groaned in pain. At that time, some motorcyclists had joined me and we started pouring sand on the fire to put it off. When our efforts seemed not enough, we called o welders at a nearby shop and they came down with water alongside some church members and we all used the water to fight the fire.
“What happened remains a mystery because as much as we tried, we could not make any headway as the man was burnt beyond recognition,” he narrated.
Meanwhile, the only visible items left in the car after the incident were two fire extinguishers.
However in his submission, Ayoade Dada, a motorcyclist and another sympathiser at the scene, claimed that the man may have committed suicide.
He said there is nothing that could bring about such fire if not that it was petrol.
“The incident is only pointing to one thing which is suicide. How come the outer part of the car was not consumed by the fire even the tyres and also the fuel tank.
“He could have wet himself inside the car with petrol as the fire started from where he was sitting, it was not a gradual thing but explosion like that of petrol,” Dada said.

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