Gunmen kidnap Air Vice Marshal Sikiru Smith in Lagos

. As hoodlums kill police escort in Anambra

By Phil Okose Onitsha

 Masked gunmen have kidnapped Air Vice Marshal Sikiru Smith (retd.) in the Ajah area of Lagos State, according to a report by The Punch.

Smith is a cousin of Musiliu Smith, the current Chairman of the Police Service Commission and former Inspector-General of Police.

The retired general, who is now the Chairman of Double Wealth Ventures Limited, a dredging and engineering firm, was reportedly supervising work on a site in the Ajah area of Lagos State on Monday when masked gunmen stormed the location and opened fire.

The gunmen were said to have sped away with the retired general in a waiting speedboat.

The retired AVM fought the gunmen before being subdued, according to an SOS voice note shared by his driver, Corporal Odiji.

“This is an emergency,” Odiji said. I’m Corporal Odiji, and I’m under the command of Air Vice Marshal Smith. They simply kidnapped him from the construction site where we were working. My boss has just been kidnapped by some gunmen wearing masks. They were shooting in all directions. I was close to where I was working on my boss’s car.

“I saw them leaving in a boat as I was approaching, but I wasn’t armed, so I just ran to the site and saw his glasses and where he was struggling with them. Please forward this information to others. It’s a critical situation.”

When reached by phone, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, promised to look into the matter and provide a detailed response as soon as possible.

Air Force spokesperson, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet also promised to look into the matter and provide more information later.

In 1979, AVM Smith was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Nigerian Air Force, and he went on to have a highly successful military career that combined soldering with serious academic pursuits.

He holds BSc, MSc, MBA, and PhD degrees. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Nigerian Institute of Management.

As hoodlums kill police escort in Anambra

 Unknown gunmen numbering about 20, at about 3.30pm on Tuesday in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra state, shot dead a police escort attached to the owner of a petrol filling station.

It was gathered that the gunmen whp drove in four vehicles, venza, kia, sienna and high lander, had on sighting the police escort, shot at him while the owner of the filling station,and his driver went into

hiding immediately.

The incident which caused pandemonium had reportedly forced residents and passers-by to desert the scene.

An eyewitness who pleaded anonimity told this reporter that the gunmen drove away comfortably unchallenged out of the filling station after the incident.

“Their target was the policeman, they did not want to kill the owner of the filling station or his driver. The policeman was not taken unaware because he saw them coming but thought it was to procure fuel”

“It was when they opened fire that all those within disappeared and the next thing was corpse of the policeman lying on the ground” he hinted further.