A four-man gang kidnapped a PUNCH
correspondent, Nosa Akenzua, and raped four ladies on Saturday in Asaba.
The
incident happened about 4.50p.m along Warri/Sapele/Benin Expressway
while the victims were waiting to board a vehicle to Benin City.
The gang drove an ash-coloured C-Class Mercedes Benz vehicle with registration number, AA 122 XL.
The
victims, oblivious of the evil intention of the gang, agreed on a fare
of N400 each and took the backseat of the vehicle. Trouble started when
the driver of vehicle diverted from the expressway with an excuse to
urinate.
As he pulled over, the occupant of the front seat, who
was also a member of the gang pulled out a gun and ordered the victims
into the bush.
According to our correspondent, the gang robbed the victims of their valuables.
Narrating
his ordeal, Akenzua said, “When we got to the bush, they ordered us to
lie on the ground and they started searching our bags where they removed
N25,000 from my purse. Meanwhile, the four female victims were ordered
to UnCloth and they were raped. As this went on, I crawled to the road
and shouted for help. Though some car owners pulled over to help
transport me from the scene, none was willing to go with me to the bush
to help the female victims because the kidnappers were armed.”
On Christmas Eve, six travellers were kidnapped by a gang who disguised as transporters plying the route.
A
victim, Vero Thomas, who spoke to our correspondent on her experience
with the kidnappers, said, “I was a victim some weeks ago when three men
in a red Toyota Corolla car, who claimed to be heading to Benin, asked
me to pay N500 as fare. After Mossogar, they started behaving funny and I
knew what they were up to. They shouted at me but I ignored their shout
and tried to escape. They pulled over their car and pushed me into the
bush. I sustained injuries but help came my way.”
The state
Police Public Relations officer Mrs. Celestina Kalu, when contacted,
confirmed that the Sapele/Warri/Benin expressway had become a danger
spot for travellers who prefer cheap transport fare and, advised them to
patronise vehicles in authorised parks. She said the police had started
monitoring activities of the hoodlums and that they would soon be
brought to book.
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