Gunmen kidnap Supreme Court Justice’s wife, daughter

Justice and Mrs. Rhodes-Vivour

Gunmen on Friday night, abducted the wife, daughter, and driver of a Supreme Court Justice, Bode Rhodes-Vivour.

The victims were travelling to Edo State, ahead of the Justice’s daughter’s wedding ceremony.

It was learnt that they were kidnapped between Ekiadolor and Okada along along the Ore-Benin Expressway.

When contacted on the telephone, Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Moses Eguavoen, said he was unaware of the development.

He said, “I am not aware of that, but let me call the control room and get back to you.”

When one of our correspondents contacted, the Media Assistant to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mr. Isah Ahuraka, he confirmed the development.

He said, “Justice Rhodes-Vivour’s wife, daughter and driver were kidnapped in Benin.”

The CJN’s aide could not confirm whether the abductors have contacted the Supreme Court Justice as at the time of filing this report.

He added that the kidnapped daughter’s “marriage is coming up next weekend.”

Meanwhile, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Anambra State has killed seven suspected kidnappers and arrested two others.

The Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Police Command, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Awka on Saturday.

Chukwuemeka said the incident took place at Aguleri, Anambra-East Local Council Area at around 4.00pm on Friday.

The spokesman said two of the suspects were captured at the point of collecting a N5m ransom. He added that the suspects later took security men to their hideout, where some kidnap victims were rescued unhurt around 8.30pm.

Chukwuemeka said the ransom was recovered when the suspects engaged security men in a shoot-out.

He said one of the rescued victims, identified as Anthony, was kidnapped in Onitsha a week earlier, before he was taken into a building belonging to a Lagos-based businessman.

Another recued victim, a Lebanese contractor with Consolidated Construction Company, Mr. Roumauos Marroun, was also kidnapped at the gate of the Igbariam Campus of the Anambra State University on May 7.

PUNCH