Abducted Journalists: Lagos SWAN Hails CDS, GOC 82 Division, IGP, Arise TV

*One still missing

Olawale Ajimotokan

The Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Lagos chapter, Ambassador Olatutu Oladunni, and the executive committee have hailed the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa and the Nigerian military for their gallant role in the rescue of the sports journalists kidnapped last week on Ihiala-Orlu road, Anambra State, on the eve of Nigeria versus Libya AFCON qualifying match played in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
This was as the whereabouts of one of the journalists, Abdul Quadri Amao, was still unknown three days after the incident.
A statement by Oladunni, the Secretary, Lagos SWAN, Mr Omotunde Bello and Assistant Secretary, Lagos SWAN, Mr Taiwo Adelu, said the rapid rescue team was coordinated under the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division Enugu, headed by Major General H. P Dada.
They said Dada gave a swift rescue order for the overwhelming operations, which was spearheaded by Nigerian Army 302 Artillery Regiment (General Support) Onitsha, led by Brig. General U.A. Lawal and a joint significant support force from 34 Artillery Brigade Owerri.
The team, they claimed, supported the 302 Artillery Regiment (General Support) of over 50 army personnel in four armoured vehicles to rescue the journalists, who had been attacked by suspected IPOB members.
Incidentally, the oldest among the journalists, Mr Kola Omoniyi, who were on official assignment for Afro Sports, was hit by bullets from members of the IPOB and lost his life in the process.
Lagos SWAN said IPOB kidnapped the media crew while commuting on a bus and made them pay ransom running into some millions, as well as dispossessed them of the money found in their possession while in the bush.
“However, luck ran out for the evil attackers when the military was able to track their location with their device and swung into action to rescue seven members of the crew after four of them had fled into the bush during the attack.
A police officer alongside the driver and the journalist had died through gunshots from the IPOB members. The military was able to rescue the journalists in the bush and also exhumed the body of the journalist (Kola Omoniyi) whom the IPOB members had earlier buried in a shallow grave amidst the attack,” the statement said.
Lagos SWAN thanked the Army for providing an ambulance to convey those rescued as they were critically injured and handing them over to the Army medical team.
The statement added that Oladunni had been in touch with the military, head of the operations and the NPF as they rescued the journalists to ensure that they were safe and returned safely to Lagos.
Two out of the four crew members who jumped into the bush before the security operatives arrived the scene, survived with the help of the military as they were able to track their location. They have since returned to Lagos.
The military forces also confirmed that one of the journalists, Abdul Quadri Amao, was still nowhere to be found as the operations team from the Artillery Regiment and 34 Artillery Brigade, disclosed that his location was about 500 radius away to their base and they had been in the lookout for him in the bush in the past two days, but he was yet to be found.