Fresh facts have emerged on the circumstances in which an unnamed senior naval officer was abducted along the Ose/Oba Akoko highway in Akoko North-East Local Government Area of Ondo State on May 17. Impeccable security sources have also identified the officer as Navy Commander Ajare Uchegbulah.
The military officer was on a trip to Abuja when he ran into gunmen suspected to be armed robbers while they were operating along the Ago Ajayi-Ibillo road at about 2pm on Sunday, barely a week after an Army Captain, D. Gana and three others were kidnapped along Auga/Ikaram, also in Ondo State, en route Abuja.
A top intelligence source hinted Scudnews that in the case of Commander Uchegbulah, police patrol teams acting on a tip-off were mobilized to the robbery scene, and met three cars and one unregistered Toyota Camry car in the bush. But the naval officer and two others whose identities were not ascertained had already been abducted and their whereabouts unknown.
However, various tactical squads and patrol teams deployed in the area were said to have rescued one Adamu Suleiman and another victim unhurt after a frantic search of the bush. Meanwhile, the abductors of the naval officer have reportedly contacted his family and placed a ransom of N50million for his release.
Spokesperson for the Ondo State Police Command, Tee-Leo Ikoro, could not be reached for comments on the incident at the time of filing this report but detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), are said to be investigating the case.
