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• October 22, 2025
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Again, Enugu State Govt Pulls Down Property Used for Kidnapping

Again, Enugu State Govt Pulls Down Property Used for Kidnapping

The Enugu State Government, yesterday  demolished yet another building used for kidnapping in the state, an action it said is in line with the laws of the state.

Security agencies had, during the week, rescued a kidnap victim at the demolished property, a bungalow at Umueze Awkunanaw in Nkanu West LGA of the state, used by the prime suspect, Igwenagu Ogbodo, and his gang for holding victims captive.

Ogbodo and some of his gang members, however, escaped with various degrees of gunshot wounds when security agencies stormed the property.

Speaking to newsmen during the demolition, the Council Chairman of Nkanu West LGA, Hon. John Ogbodo, commended Governor Mbah for consistently demonstrating political will in the war against insecurity.

“The prime suspect and his gang kidnapped the person and brought him here. He was rescued and his vehicle recovered. Some arms and ammunition were equally recovered.

“I thank His Excellency, Dr. Peter Mbah, for his political will and demonstration of capacity in line with what he told Ndi Enugu that any house that harbours criminals or is used to aid criminality will be demolished.” 

“That is exactly what is happening here today and it is in line with the laws of Enugu State.

“This is not the first house to be demolished in Enugu by this administration, neither is it the second nor the third. But this is the first one to be demolished in Nkanu West, and I know this is going to be a deterrent to other criminal elements.

“I urge every community and Presidents-General to be very mindful of people around them. They should keep an eye on the people and report any suspicious movement to security agencies.

“Again, I want to use this opportunity to advise anyone who has a property in Enugu State to be mindful of his or her tenants and any activities ongoing in their property. This is because any house used to harbour criminality like kidnap victims stands demolished,” he stated.

He said the demolition would serve as a deterrent to the remaining criminals in the state, as there was no hiding place for them given the level of technology and manpower deployed by the governor to stamp out insecurity and criminality from Enugu State.

“The guy who did this is still on the run, but I know that Enugu State Government has the capacity and the equipment to capture him.

“Others who are into criminality should know that there is no hiding place in Enugu State of today because the arm of the government will catch up with them,” he concluded.

Some community members, who witnessed the demolition, testified to the suspect’s criminal ways and antecedents, noting that he was an ex-convict.

Ikechukwu Amos, who spoke to newsmen, said: “I can’t deny it, he is a criminal. I am their elder and I know how all of them behave. We have been advising him, but he refused. You have seen the resultant effect of his unholy character.

“This same boy returned from prison not too long ago. Since then, he has been maintaining bad company, using this place for all manner of illicit activities like smoking Indian hemp and other hard substances. I am not surprised that something of this nature will happen, and it has happened.”

Another indigene of Umueze Awkunanaw, Edeh Chidera Kingsley, also spoke about the prime suspect’s criminal records: “Any young man who doesn’t want to work to get money but chooses kidnapping should face the music.

“Fela, as he is also known, is a lazy man. If you call him for work, he would say that he would not go. He finds pleasure in drinking.”

The Councilor of the ward, Uchenna Jideofor, thanked the governor for putting into effect the harsh measures prescribed by the laws of Enugu State against kidnapping, describing the demolition as a welcome development for the people and leaders of Umueze Awkunanaw.

“The guy is notorious in criminal activities. In my first tenure, I made sure that some of them were remanded in prison, but after everything he was later released by some people from the community. And any time they come back, people will be witnessing insecurity in the community. The guy is involved in so many things.

“This morning, I had a confrontation with the neighbours, telling them that they are not doing us good by not giving us information on what is happening. But what is happening here now will serve as a lesson to others that have chosen the fast lane,” he said.

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The Enugu State Government, yesterday  demolished yet another building used for kidnapping in the state, an action it said is in line with the laws of the state. Security agencies had,

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• October 22, 2025
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Don’t Let Your Hatred for Mutfwang Ruin Tinubu’s Chances, Group Warns APC Chairman

Don’t Let Your Hatred for Mutfwang Ruin Tinubu’s Chances, Group Warns APC Chairman

Ayodeji Ake

A pro-Tinubu support group within the All Progressives Congress, Renewed Hope Advocates of Nigeria (RHAN), has  warned the National Chairman of the party, Professor Yilwatda Nentawe, not to allow his personal hatred for Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State to endanger President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election prospects.

The group gave the warning in a  statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Prince Miaphen,  expressing  “deep concern” that while the President and the APC national leadership are busy reaching out to opposition governors across Nigeria, Professor Nentawe has instead been working to frustrate Governor Mutfwang’s planned defection to the APC.

Miaphen recalled that at a stakeholders’ meeting in Jos last Friday, chaired by Professor Nentawe himself, a motion was allegedly forced through to bar Governor Mutfwang from joining the APC, a move RHAN described as “reckless, self-serving, and politically suicidal.”

“At a stakeholders’ meeting recently held in Jos — presided over by the National Chairman himself — a motion was not only moved but unanimously adopted to bar the incumbent Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, from joining the APC,” Miaphen wrote. “The same meeting that enthusiastically endorsed President Tinubu’s second term bid paradoxically decided to block a sitting governor who could have been one of his strongest electoral assets in the North Central region.”

According to him, the decision “exposes the growing disconnect between the Plateau APC leadership and the President’s national vision,” warning that “any political strategy that alienates Plateau’s sitting governor is both short-sighted and dangerous to the party’s national interest.”

Miaphen noted that under President Tinubu, Nigeria has witnessed unprecedented political inclusivity, citing the alignment of governors from Cross River, Ebonyi, Zamfara, and Enugu States as examples of the President’s bridge-building strategy.

“Mr. President, your administration’s success story is built upon inclusion and political bridge-building. How can the same APC that celebrates the defection of governors elsewhere suddenly turn hostile to one in Plateau — a state with over 2.5 million registered voters, crucial to the political arithmetic of 2027?” Miaphen asked.

He described Professor Nentawe’s actions as a “dangerous contradiction” that calls into question his political maturity and loyalty to the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Rather than convening meetings to block Governor Mutfwang, Professor Nentawe should be hosting strategic engagement sessions to woo him and his supporters. What sense does it make that the National Chairman’s own governor is still in the opposition?” he queried.

RHAN also reminded the President of the bitter lessons of 2023, when the APC lost Plateau despite having former Governor Simon Lalong as the Director-General of Tinubu’s campaign.

“If a sitting governor’s support could not guarantee victory in 2023, how much worse would it be when the National Chairman himself alienates the current governor? Personality politics and disunity on the Plateau can once again ruin our national effort,” Miaphen warned.

He alleged that Professor Nentawe may be preserving the APC’s 2027 governorship ticket for himself, and that his hostility towards Governor Mutfwang is “rooted in personal bitterness from his 2023 loss.”

“It is widely whispered on the Plateau that Professor Nentawe still nurses personal bitterness over his 2023 defeat and is quietly positioning himself for another attempt in 2027. If true, that would explain his hostility to Governor Mutfwang and his attempt to sabotage the President’s re-election,” he said.

Concluding, the RHAN coordinator urged President Tinubu to call Nentawe and the Plateau APC caucus to order, insisting that the party’s unity and 2027 prospects depend on openness and reconciliation.

“Mr. President, you are a master strategist — a bridge builder who understands that no region should be politically isolated. It is in that spirit that we urge you to intervene immediately. Plateau is too strategic to be lost to personal vendetta,” Miaphen stated.

He added that the doors of the APC must remain open to all well-meaning Plateau citizens, including Governor Mutfwang, “if the goal truly is to secure and strengthen President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election.”

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Ayodeji Ake A pro-Tinubu support group within the All Progressives Congress, Renewed Hope Advocates of Nigeria (RHAN), has  warned the National Chairman of the party, Professor Yilwatda Nentawe, not to allow