An official of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, Air Commodore John Ijudigal, has foiled a robbery/kidnapping attempt in Abuja, the nation’s capital by suspected criminals popularly known as ‘one-chance’.
The incident which occurred at about 7:28pm on 14 February 2024 at Accra Road, Wuse Zone 5, led to the arrest of 3 suspects while two female victims were subsequently rescued.
Narrating how the gallant officer busted the kidnapping attempt, the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigeria Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet in a statement at the weekend, said Air Commodore Ijudigal was commuting home in his staff car when he suddenly came across a distressing scene.
The scene he noted involved an Abuja-painted taxi (Mazda 323) with registration BWR 232 XB, reversing on high speed, with terrified passengers inside screaming for help. He added that a black Toyota Land Cruiser was also in pursuit of the taxi.
“Instinctively, Air Commodore Ijudigal immediately joined in the pursuit by using his official vehicle to block the escape route of the criminals. The driver of the ‘one-chance’ vehicle, in a state of panic, then collided with Air Commodore Idjudigal’s official vehicle, resulting in significant damage to both cars.
“The impact caused the ‘one-chance’ vehicle to skid into a nearby garden. Following the collision, Air Commodore Ijudigal promptly exited his vehicle and chased after one of the occupants of the ‘one-chance’ taxi, who had fled into a nearby bush”, the statement noted.
Air Vice Marshal Gabkwet added that with the assistance of onlookers gathered at the accident scene, the driver of the ‘one-chance’ vehicle, along with 2 other suspects were apprehended, while the 2 female victims were rescued.
The suspects (two males and a female) have since been handed over to the Commissioner of Police in FCT, Mr Benneth Igweh who applauded Commodore Ijudigal for his courage.
The Chief of the Air Staff , Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has also commended the senior officer for his bravery and act of selfless service.
