Kogi East Neighborhood Watch (KEWN), a socio-cultural vigilante group has appealed to the state government and security agents to urgently wade in and ensure that justice is done over the kidnapping and killing of a commercial motorcycle rider by some suspected gunmen.

It was gathered that suspected ethnic warlords of one of the rival groups in Bassa-Komu and Egbura-mozum ethnic groups have allegedly kidnapped and killed a commercial motorcycle rider, one Ilemona Iyaro Omakwu at Odugbo in Bassa Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The Incident was reported to have happened on Sunday afternoon at Odugbo when the okada man was on his routine business in the vicinity

The locals reported that late Ilemona was flagged down at a roadblock mounted by hoodlums suspected to be from one of the rival groups in the Bassa-Komu and Egbura-mozum crisis, discharged his passenger, and led him into the bush on the pretext that he was of the rival group.

It was gathered that the said okada man pleaded with his assailants, saying he was an Igala-man and was on his way to Odugbo to drop his passenger.

The commercial motorcycle rider was said to be from Ochipu, a settlement in Bassa LGA but registered with the Okada riders’ association in Dekina LGA of the state.

The news of the missing motorcyclist, who was said to have been killed and eaten by the war-lords, is said to have heightened tension in the area with the youths and his association threatening reprisal on his abductors.

The locals said six of the alleged warlords were arrested on Sunday night and handed over to the police on Monday.

However, the secretary of the group, Mr Isaac Inah in a press statement said this incident was one of such dastardly acts perpetrated by the alleged rival groups on rival ethnic groups that would not be allowed to continue.

The group said such impunity should not be allowed to undermine Governor Yahaya Bello and security agents’ efforts to keep the areas safe.

‘‘These ethnic warlords should not be allowed to continue to fan the embers of ethnic strife, to feather their nest, and dare the governor of the state despite his efforts, along with stakeholders to restore normalcy to the embattled region,” he said.

However all efforts to confirm the incident from the Kogi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP William Ayah proved abortive as he was not reachable on his phone line. (Nigerian Tribune)