Bandits | File Image
By Mohammed Usman
Niger State Command has confirmed that the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) Commissioner, Ahmed Mohammed, his driver and many others that were kidnapped by suspected armed bandits on Monday were yet to be freed.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger state Command SP Wasiu A. Abiodun, who made the confirmation, said that the victims were
traveling along the Zugurma-Ibbi road enroute New Bussa.
He also disclosed that the former Chairman, Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), Alhaji Mohammed Bawa Niworu, is among the victims of the attack which occurred in the early hours of Monday around the Ibbi National Park along Zugurma-Ibbi to New Bussa road, Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.
His words: “Some passengers were abducted from three vehicles along the Zugurma-Ibbi-New Bussa road, and the command has mobilised more tactical teams with other security agencies and vigilante members are already trailing the suspected kidnappers with a view to rescue the victims and possibly arrest the criminals”.
The victims were said to be on their way back to Minna from Borgu in New Bussa when their vehicle were intercepted by the suspected armed bandits and marched into the forest.
Also read: Bandits kill 50 soldiers at military base
Source from the locality told our correspondent that a passerby had spotted some vehicles parked by the roadside with their doors open but no sign of anyone inside or nearby.
Our correspondent further gathered that the armed men had initially blocked the road ahead of the police nipping point but was repelled by the police tactical team, which engaged them in gun duel.
The encounter though ended with no casualties on both sides, but some policemen sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries and were taken to a nearby health facility for treatment.
A commercial driver who ply the route also told journalists that three Sharon vehicles with all their passengers were taken to unknown destination.
Recall that Governor Mohammed Umar Bago had on a national television declared the state free from any form of security threats and calling on investors within and outside Nigeria to take advantage of the huge potentials and invest especially in agriculture.
But criminals are not relenting in their bid to prove the governor otherwise as their activities rather intensified with reports of attacks and abductions of commuters and farmers almost on weekly basis.
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