•Deploys IRT operatives to Kaduna State

By Ifeanyi Okolie

One week after Dr. Maiwada Galadima, a first class traditional ruler of Adara Chiefdom in Kaduna State was gruesomely murdered, after he was kidnapped alongside his wife and several others by a gang of armed men who attacked him along the Kachia- Kaduna highway, the police high command in Abuja, has vowed not to rest until his killers were brought to justice.

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The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has therefore deployed a crack team of operatives led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, to Kachia, Katari and Brinin Gwari areas of Kaduna State to hunt down the kidnappers who were suspected to have been terrorizing major highways in Kaduna and Zamfara States in recent time.

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The paramount ruler was murdered, after spending one week in captivity and a ransom of N10million was paid to the kidnappers.

Vanguard gathered that after a N10 million ransom was paid, the kidnappers brought out the 64-year-old traditional ruler and some other people who they kidnapped alongside him, excluding his wife, Victoria, who they had released three days before then, to the entrance of a forest within Katari area of the state, and opened fire on him killing him on the spot. Another victim who tried to escape was also shot on the foot before they escaped into the forest.

It was learned that the sound of the gunshot attracted residents of a small village within the Katari area and they found the paramount ruler lying in a pool of blood.

A police source who took part in the evacuation explained that eight persons including the traditional ruler lost their lives during the attack. The source said the kidnappers killed seven persons on October 19, 2018 when they kidnapped the paramount ruler and his wife.

According to the source,”we were told that the kidnappers mounted a road block on Ibom axis of the Kachai-Kaduna expressway and intercepted over five vehicles including that of the paramount ruler. They killed the police orderly guarding him on the spot as well as other persons. These people all sustained bullets on their heads. They were all shot at close range. We also saw bullet holes on the spot where we found their bodies. One other dead body was found in a burnt car at the scene. We were told that the driver attempted to escape when he sighted the kidnappers but he ran into a ditch and his vehicle caught fire.

Another body was also found inside a bush very close to a village. We learned that the dead man who had a bullet wound on his ear, attempted to escape when he got to a village as the kidnappers led them into their camp. He ran towards the village but the kidnappers opened fire on him. One week after the kidnap and ransom paid to the kidnappers for the release of the traditional ruler and others, we got news that he had been killed. We learned one of the kidnappers opened fire on him and killed him. No one can explain why they did what they did”, he narrated.

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While relaying the IGP’s condolence message and his resolve to bring the bloodthirsty kidnappers to justice, Kyari told the wife of late paramount ruler, and some chiefs at the palace that the IGP has directed him and his men to fish out the kidnappers and bring them to justice. “We want to assure you that the IGP is sad about this incident and he has directed us to go after these kidnappers. We will not rest until they are brought to justice”, he said.

On his part, the Permanent Representative of the late paramount ruler, Chief Steven Garuba, thanked the IGP for his concern which he said showed that the government has not abandoned his people. He also urged IGP to fulful his promise of hunting down the kidnappers which he said was the only way the people of their community could be propely consoled.