From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
Barely four weeks after two judges were kidnapped in Kogi State, another Customary Court of Appeal Judge, Mr Isiaka Momoh-Jimoh, was abducted Sunday evening while his police orderly was shot dead.
According to a witness account, the Judge, an Ebira by tribe, was returning to Lokoja at about 5.30pm when the kidnappers flagged down his vehicle at Itakpe- Kuroko road, a by-pass to the Abuja-Lokoja- Okene highway when gunmen suspected to be herdsmen hijacked his vehicle.
The account said, immediately the judge’s Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) was flagged down, the gunmen rained bullets on the Police Orderly, killing him on the spot while the driver sustained serious injuries before they whisked away the judge to an unknown destination.
When contacted, the Information Officer attached to the State Judiciary, Mr Sakeeb Saheed, confirmed the incident and said that the driver was currently in critical condition and was receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
According to him, as at the time of filing in this report, no ransom has been demanded by the abductors.
In a similar development, two middle aged women were also kidnapped along Obajana- Kabba road Friday morning, while coming from Abuja to Ilorin, Kwara State on a business trip.
Attempts to get Police reaction on the two incidents were futile as the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Willy Aya, failed to respond to several calls put through his mobile phone.
It would be recalled that due to the incessant robbery and kidnapping activities in the state, a helicopter with a detachment of a Special Squad were deployed by the Inspector- General of Police.
The Squad led by a Commissioner of Police combed round the state for about a week and arrested some of the suspected hoodlums. However, barely few days after their departure, the hoodlums were said to have resumed their nefarious activities.