The Nation Newspaper

Tag: kidnappers

  • The general and shadowy kidnappers

    The general and shadowy kidnappers

    Where are the kidnappers of retired Brig. Gen. Maharazu Tsiga, former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who was kidnapped from his Katsina State home on February 5? The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said nothing about the kidnappers when he reunited Tsiga with his family at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Abuja, on April 3. He had spent more than 50 days in captivity before he regained his freedom. He narrated his hellish experience in captivity, saying he endured “beatings.”

    Eighteen other kidnap victims were reunited with their families at the event. They included Amb. Gideon Yohanna, former Deputy Chief of Mission to Pretoria, South Africa, who was kidnapped in January, in Kaduna State.

    Ribadu said: “We have done a couple of handovers in the past as a result of the work of our armed forces and other security services, we are able to rescue and bring back.

    “Now we have done it again. This time, it involves very powerful and important personalities…  We are grateful to those who made their rescue possible.”

    He added: “These people have been rescued, but those perpetrators of this evil will pay for it, dearly. The work we are doing today is a work in progress. We are not there yet.”

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    Was this a hint that the kidnappers had not been captured? If that is the case, why is it so? To say the victims were “rescued” suggests that they were taken from their abductors. If that was the case, what happened to the abductors?  A rescue suggests physical action on the part of the rescuers.  If the abductors released the captives, possibly after the payment of ransom, that can’t be strictly described as a rescue.

    A “Note of Appreciation,” dated April 4, 2025, signed by Brig. Gen. Ismaila Abdullahi (retd), surfaced online. It gave an insight into how Tsiga regained his freedom. Abdullahi said after the abduction, Tsiga’s friends and associates had created “a WhatsApp platform that we named simply “TSIGA.” He stated that the kidnappers had demanded N400 million as ransom.

    “We decided to solicit donations on our TSIGA PLATFORM. The response was overwhelming. On this platform, we had over 300 members,” he said, adding, “I feel fulfilled as our collective efforts have finally yielded a very positive outcome.”

    Does this mean that Tsiga was released after his kidnappers had collected ransom? This contradicts the official narrative that he was rescued by security agents.

     When the authorities are silent about kidnappers in kidnap cases in which kidnappees regain their freedom after the intervention of security agencies, it suggests that the kidnappers are free and may well strike again. That’s dangerous.

    It is disturbing that kidnappings not only continue in the country but are also on the rise.  More than 3, 600 people were kidnapped in Nigeria last year, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data figures; this was described as “the most ever” recorded.  

    More than 2,000 people were reported kidnapped across 24 states of the country between January and July 2024, according to SUNDAY PUNCH. The newspaper’s research focused on reports of kidnapping published in four Nigerian newspapers in the period, namely The PUNCH, The Guardian, The Nation, and Vanguard.

     The research showed alarming figures of kidnap victims in the seven-month period: 193 people in January, 101 in February, 543 in March, 112 in April, 977 in May, 97 in June, and 117 in July, totalling 2,140. Among these were 280 pupils and teachers kidnapped by bandits from Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School, Kuriga, Kaduna State, in March; and about 500 people abducted by bandits from 50 villages in Zamfara State, in May.

    Also, the research showed that the families of 62 kidnap victims paid N389 million as ransom to kidnappers for the release of their relatives in the period. The cases of ransom payment included N60 million paid to kidnappers for the release of five sisters abducted from their house in Abuja, in January; and N50 million paid to kidnappers in May before the Paramount Ruler of the Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Ogwong Okon Abang, regained his freedom.

    Notably, in August 2024, the kidnap story of 20 medical students made the headlines. They were kidnapped by gunmen in Benue State, on their way to a conference, and freed after more than a week in captivity. The authorities said no ransom was paid for their release.

    The range of kidnap victims indicates that those involved in kidnapping for ransom are no respecter of persons. The gravity of the problem prompted a law in 2021 that controversially prescribed at least a 15-year imprisonment for paying a ransom to free someone who has been kidnapped. The law also made the crime of abduction punishable by death in cases where victims die.

    Last year, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, inaugurated officers of the new Special Intervention Squad, saying it was created “to confront the most formidable challenges that beset our nation today — challenges like kidnapping, banditry, and other violent crimes that have sown discord and fear across various regions.” 

    The creation of the 169-man squad to fight kidnapping and banditry further underscored the country’s security crisis, and also suggested that the authorities were taking the issue more seriously. However, it was unclear how the new security squad will operate, and whether its operations will make a difference.

    Egbetokun said the officers had been trained for “advanced tactical operations, intelligence gathering, crisis negotiation, and community engagement,” among others, and described their work as a “critical national assignment.” They were trained for seven weeks in Lagos and the Police Mobile Force Training College, Ende Hills, Nasarawa State.

    The scale of the country’s security crisis, which includes kidnapping and banditry, demands more than establishing a new ad hoc squad of less than 200 officers. In August 2023, Egbetokun was reported saying the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) “requires an additional 190,000 personnel to be at par with the United Nations (UN) recommendation,” adding that inadequate manpower had resulted in “low police presence.” The UN-recommended ratio is one police officer to about 450 citizens.

     There is no doubt that the country needs to increase its police personnel, particularly in the context of a complicated security crisis. Nigeria is critically under-policed, which is bad for security as well as law and order.

    Ultimately, there are more questions than answers on the Tsiga kidnapping incident and its resolution.  Who will answer the questions?

  • Kidnappers demand N20m to free Catholic priest

    Kidnappers demand N20m to free Catholic priest

    • ’Killers’ of cleric in Kaduna arrested

    Kidnappers of Rev. Fr. John Ubaechu, the Parish Priest of Holy Family Catholic Church, Izombe, Imo State are demanding N20 million as ransom for the release of the cleric.

    Ubaechu was abducted in Ejemekwuru on Sunday evening on his way to the yearly retreat of priests of the Owerri Catholic Archdiocese.

    His abduction was confirmed by the Owerri Catholic Archdiocesan Chancellor and Secretary, Rev. Fr. Patrick Mbarah in Owerri, in a statement.

    A source from the church, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on condition of anonymity, yesterday, said the kidnappers had contacted some persons through whom they first demanded N50 million, before they reduced the amount.

    “Some people are saying that the kidnappers are demanding N50 million, some N20 million and some N10 million, the fact remains that Fr. John is still with the kidnappers, we keep praying for his safe release.

    Meanwhile, Troops of  Operation Safe Haven (OPSH)  in Jos, Plateau State have arrested the killers of Rev. Fr. Sylvester Okechukwu, who was murdered after being abducted at Tachira village in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    The suspects were apprehended on Tuesday, following a raid on the hideout of the prime suspect, Pate Yau, 33, in Ruga settlement, at Warsa-Piti village of Lere Local Government Area.

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    In a statement by the spokesperson of OPSH, Major Samson Zakhom, in Jos, said Yau was contracted by Douglas Henry, the deceased priest’s co-tenant.

    He explained that the plan to kidnap Father Okechukwu was reportedly orchestrated by Henry, who then enlisted Yau to carry out the crime.

    “Following the arrest of Pate Yau, troops launched a follow-up that led to the capture of Douglas Henry at Agwan Sarki Tachira in Kaura Local Government Area.

    “The operation was part of a larger effort to dismantle criminal networks responsible for abductions and killings in the region.

    “Both suspects are in custody and are undergoing further interrogation to shed more light on the circumstances surrounding the murder,” he said.

  • Edo task force demolishes more houses linked to kidnappers

    Edo task force demolishes more houses linked to kidnappers

    As the Edo State Government’s Anti-Kidnapping Task Force continues to bring down property of kidnappers, a middle-aged man, Odianosen Oboh, of Uromi in Edo Central Senatorial District, has lost his inherited property due to his activities in kidnapping.

    The property was yesterday demolished by the task force, following his arrest and confession to the crime.

    Speaking with reporters before the demolition, Oboh said he recently received N800,000 as proceeds from his last mission.

    He said: “My name na Odianosen Oboh. Na my house be this. My papa build am, but I finish the house. Na my friend Epama I follow, we carry one man from Ekpoma, as we carry am, the car when we use spoil, I come use my bike carry am.

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    “We carry am go inside bush for Uromi, we spent three days inside the bush before they pay us N5 million. Na five of us do the job and them give me N800,000. I use the money pay some kind debts when I owe before.”

    On how he was arrested, he said: “Na Epama when them hold confess me, and them come pick me. Now them wan break my house, my papa house because of N800,000. My family no go get house again. My children they are outside now. Anybody that see crime should run from crime.”

    The Special Adviser to Governor Monday Okpebholo on Security Affairs, Mr. Akhere Paul, after supervising the demolition of the fourth property of kidnap suspects, said the Edo governor would not relent, until kidnapping ended in the state.

    Paul said: “My advice to everybody is that, there is no peace for the wicked. Those ones still kidnapping should know the government will not stop.

    “Your time will come and we will come for you. We will chase them, continue to chase them, and we will continue to bring their houses down.”

    The Commander, Task Force, Michael Anetor, a Superintendent of Police (SP), said the suspects, who belonged to a gang of five, had confessed to the crime and the task force had to enforce the law.

  • Kidnappers nabbed in Plateau community

    Kidnappers nabbed in Plateau community

    • N2m recovered

    Security operatives have arrested some kidnappers in Qua’anpan Local Government Area of Plateau State from whom they recoverd N2million.

    Chairman, Qua’an-Pan Local Government, Christopher Audu Manship, confirmed this in a statement by Danaan Cletus Sylvanus, the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) on Media and Publicity.

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    He said the kidnappers collected the cash as ransom from Muhammadu Sani Juli. He has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enhancing security in the region.

    The statement added that the security agencies demonstrated exceptional professionalism in retrieving the ransom and apprehending the suspects.

    Also, security operatives arrested one person for attacking travellers on Juku Road, Nasarawa State. He confessed that their operations involved the use of AK-47 rifles.

  • Seized Catholic Seminarian dies in kidnappers’ den,

    Seized Catholic Seminarian dies in kidnappers’ den,

    … as Rev. Fr. regains freedom

    A seminarian, Peter Andrew, who was seized on March 3 at the St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Iviukha, Etsako East Local Government Area, Edo State, has lost his life in the kidnappers’ den.

    His body is yet to be located.

    Andrew was kidnapped along with the parish priest, Rev. Fr. Philip Ekeli, who luckily regained his freedom.

    Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moses Yamu, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), made the disclosure yesterday.

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    Yamu said: “Intensive search and rescue operations by police operatives and vigilance members led to the release of the Rev. Father (Philip Ekeli) on 13/03/2025 at about 1652hrs in Amughe community.

    “Bush combing continues with a view to recovering the remains of the Seminarian who regrettably lost his life in the process, as well as to arrest the remaining gang of the kidnappers.”

    One of the suspected kidnappers was neutralised (killed) and four suspected criminals were arrested on the day of the kidnap.

  • Living in fear of herders and kidnappers

    Living in fear of herders and kidnappers

    For years, many of us had lived in dread of kidnappers and herders in our country. The campaign against and fear of these miscreants are not over yet but there is light at the end of a long dark tunnel. This was something we were not used to. The saddest part of the situation was that most of us voters felt President Muhammadu Buhari, being a retired soldier would handle the problem with military might by dealing mercilessly with these miscreants. But we were disappointed that as they say in Yorubaland “for the leaves of coconut tree to soften up, they actually became harder.” I don’t know the reason for his absolute inaction. The result of this was that most of us confined ourselves to the urban centres and abandoned the rural areas where our people lived and where we had our extended families and the graves of our parents and ancestors.  This abandonment of the rural and agricultural hinterland of the country was eventually to lead to famine, worsening the insecurity of the country.

    For me this was terrible. I had to be sending monies to friends at home and pastors of our home churches to help keep the graves of our parents in order. I sometimes felt very hopeless asking what kind of lives we were living and remembering what Yoruba bards used to sing to us “Enter your father’s house, there can be no fear in one’s father’s house”. For about a decade, I lived in fear of kidnappers even while traveling from Lagos to Ibadan. What I really feared was not the ones that killed people instantly but the ones who carried people to the forest and held them for days, months and years before releasing or finally killing them.

    I remember what my friend Honourable Eddy Mbadiwe suggested apparently out of frustration that those who want should be allowed to carry concealed weapons like Americans, so that they have a fighting chance against these kidnappers whenever they struck. He didn’t get much support but it was a positive suggestion for those of us who are able and willing to defend ourselves. People after vetting should be allowed to carry weapons as they do in America so that good people are not killed miserably by those who do not value the lives they carelessly take. We all suffered during the Buhari years and to preserve our lives, we stayed put wherever we were.

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    One of my cousins at home made matters worse when he told me that our folks at home were in league with the foreign kidnappers whom they assisted with intelligence about those visiting home. I jokingly said if I was ever kidnapped, I would say I was a retired headmaster of a primary school instead of saying a retired poor professor! I was made to understand that this would not wash because the marauders would say if you are a poor retired headmaster, what about your children?

    A funny colleague said he told his children not to offer any ransom or sell his only house to give money to kidnappers but that his children should plead with the kidnappers to feed him until he died. I asked him – what was the point of feeding him when one bullet would put an end to his suffering and misery? In order to avoid any unpleasant experience in my old age, I stayed away from travelling to my hometown and my state.

    Recently, I broke the jinx by travelling to Ekiti State and to Ado and Ikere, Igbara-Odo and to Ilawe where I was born. I didn’t get home to Okemesi, the home of my ancestors who incidentally were warriors and would not have understood why I was living in fear. My ancestors were made of finer and tougher stuff. They were like “rams who go to meeting grounds of other rams to ask for fight if there were no rams in their vicinity”.  They were as “handsome as tigers but deadly in combat”.  My people bore the names of Akin meaning courage and lived courageously. But those were the days! The days of chivalry are gone and there was no point of glorifying foolhardiness. But even up till today, Okemesi people are regarded with awe just like every Yoruba person knows Ekiti people do not take nonsense and they would fight to the death if convinced about the correctness of their action. 

    There is this interesting story during the Second Republic. There was to be an election at the state level and even though the UPN led by Obafemi Awolowo fielded Chief Adekunle Ajasin as gubernatorial candidate, farmers in Ekiti were accosted on their way to the farms instead of going to the polling booth and when asked for their lack of patriotism, they responded that they thought voting had ended with Awolowo and since he was not on the ballot they were no longer interested in wasting their time!

    During the second week of March, I went home to Ekiti and came back hale and hearty because I believe in the protection of God Almighty and told members of my extended family that we must never live in fear and like J.F. Kennedy once said “we must never fear to negotiate but we must never negotiate in fear”. Fear is the worst tendency in man and no man should live in fear.

    One thing that I also noticed in my trip is how very clean Ekiti towns and villages are. I am one of those who agree that they are clean because they are small but some other settlements in the North and the East are small and incredibly dirty. Whatever the case, their cleanliness is obvious and the people should be commended.

    I don’t know whether the petering out of kidnapping and highway robbery has something to do with the change of government, but one cannot but notice that the Tinubu government and the change of guards of the military, the police and other security organisations must have led to the improvement in national security. But just as the security situation is improving down south, the spate of incendiary movements in the North especially in the Northwest and around Abuja is increasing. Those concerned with security in those areas must move in quickly to decapitate the heads of the snakes so that we can have peace nationally. The security leaders need to demonstrate absolute transparency, sincerity, loyalty and courage. In a situation where people feel some elements in the security organisations are feeding fat on the security problems of the country is not good enough. Where a ragtag army of insurgents hold the country to ransom, something has to be done. People should not be made to live in mortal fear in a country where we have the police and the military. The security organisations must justify the huge allocations given to them year in year out. Unless there is peace, the government will not be able to provide the wherewithal necessary to maintain internal and external order. We should all be involved in fighting insecurity in our country. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Whatever we do, we must realise that the much desired development cannot take place unless the country is secure and there can be no security if there is no development.

  • Akure chief hospitalised as kidnappers demand N100m ransom for abducted workers

    Akure chief hospitalised as kidnappers demand N100m ransom for abducted workers

    The Ijemikin of Akure Kingdom, Chief Oluwole Omotayo, has been hospitalised, reportedly due to shock and distress, a week after nine of his workers were kidnapped.

    The victims, all surveyors, were abducted at Owode, Ilu Abo, where they had gone for an assignment on behalf of Chief Omotayo. Their captors are demanding N100 million as ransom for their release.

    The abduction sparked protests in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday, as women took to the streets demanding action against the rising wave of kidnappings.

    Sources revealed that the incident had taken a toll on the Ijemikin of Akure, leading to his hospitalisation.

    Kidnappings have been on the rise across the state. Last week, Mr. Olanrewaju Oyeleye, a 50-year-old farmer who recently returned to Nigeria to establish a mechanized farm, was abducted along with his manager at Oba Ile, Akure North LGA.

    Speaking during the protest, Oluwatoyin Arowosafe, one of the demonstrators, lamented the prolonged captivity of the victims, urging authorities to ensure their immediate rescue.

     “Many of our people were kidnapped, and they are demanding for 100 million. They went to the farms, they are all Surveyors and workers of High Chief Ijemikin of Akure, Oluwole Omotayo, and they were kidnapped.

    “Today make it one week, now we are going to governor office now, to meet the governor, to help us because there is no how we can get the 100 million to rescue them.”

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    The placards carrying women stormed the streets of Akure and blocked the popular Oba Adesida road.

    They also besieged the Alagbaka Governor’s office where they sat in front of the entrance gate. 

    A sister to one of the kidnapped victims, Comfort Afolabi, said the nine Surveyors were abducted last week.

    Afolabi said the kidnappers demanded N50m before they would begin negotiation for their release.

    She said the kidnappers have placed the ransom at N100m before they would release their victims.

    Speaking to the protesters on behalf of the governor, the Special Adviser on Union Matters and Special Duties, Bola Taiwo, said the state government is taking the issue of the security serious and not pretending about it. 

    He however, blamed the kidnapped surveyors for going to the site without security operatives, after collecting huge money from their client. 

    Taiwo noted that those behind the abduction of the surveyors are living with the community and the community should be fished out within the community. 

    He said: “We shall speak with your leaders if they have reported the incident to the police. If they have not reported to the police, they should go there that’s when government would act.

    “Nowadays, any surveyors going to site should go with police escorts, if they do, no gunmen would abduct them.

    No one can kidnap anyone without internal collaborators.

    “You shall now go back to Ilu-Abo and cry out to those who abducted the surveyors to release them. No Hausa or Fulani man can come to Ilu-Abo and kidnap without the connivance of one of the natives.

    “It is your people that kidnapped the nine surveyors. We will meet with your leaders and discuss with them”

    Ondo Police Commissioner, Wilfred Afolabi, had admitted that the state Police Command lacked requisite logistics to tackle kidnappings and other criminals.

    Meanwhile, some residents of the communities attacked by herdsmen at the weekend have said they they took the corpse of the slain victims to mortuary in Edo State.

    They said some families have taken their lived ones to their villages for burial.

    Speaking under anonymity, the residents said they were shocked at the statement by an aide of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Gbenga Etiba, that there was no such an attack.

  • Troops kill two suspected kidnappers, rescue six in Kaduna, Katsina

    Troops kill two suspected kidnappers, rescue six in Kaduna, Katsina

    Security forces at the weekend killed two suspected kidnappers and rescued six victims in operations executed in Kaduna and Katsina states.

    The kidnap suspects were neutralized and four victims rescued by troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) in Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    The other two victims of kidnapping were rescued by members of a local vigilante group at Na’alma, Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State on Friday night.

    The rescue operation in Kaduna was said to have been launched following the kidnapping of passengers along the Kafanchan-Kwoi road at Afana Daji village on Friday night.

    According to security expert, Zagazola Makama, troops mobilised to the scene of the kidnapping where they rescued a victim with gunshot wounds.

    “Acting on credible intelligence, troops launched an offensive operation on February 15 at approximately 1600 hours in the Angwan Rimi Forest, where they engaged the kidnappers in a gunfight. Two of the criminals were neutralised during the encounter.

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    “A search of the area led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle, one AK-47 magazine, eight rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 10 mobile phones, foodstuffs, and a cash sum of ₦1,136,000.

    “The remaining three kidnapped victims identified as Mr. Mathew Ayemowa, Mr. Tunde Salam, and Mr. Mustapha Mohammed were successfully rescued,” Makama stated.

    In Katsina State, the victims of kidnapping were rescued after a fierce encounter between the terrorists and the vigilantes, which forced the criminals to abandon their hostages and flee in disarray.

    The terrorists were also said to have abandoned two of their motorcycles, their footwear and other belongings.

  • How kidnappers killed lawmaker after collecting N100m from his account

    How kidnappers killed lawmaker after collecting N100m from his account

    • Nine arrested, two pump action guns recovered from them

    The abductors of Anambra State lawmaker, Justice Azuka, appear to have collected N100 million from his account before killing him, according to one of the suspects arrested in connection with his disappearance.

    The Police yesterday confirmed arresting nine persons over the abduction and killing.

    Azuka’s decomposing body was found near the Niger Bridge, Onitsha, Anambra State early Thursday, 44 days after his abduction.

    Four armed young men had pounced on him at Ugwunabamkpa in Onitsha on Christmas Eve.

    One of the suspects seen in a video that has gone viral claims his gang shot Azuka dead on Boxing Day after they had collected N100 million from his account.

    The suspect told interrogators that their victim was shot twice in the head.

    The Commissioner of Police in the State, Nnaghe Itam in an update on the matter yesterday said nine suspects who were “actively involved” have so far been arrested.

    Two of the suspects are teenagers and the oldest among is only 30 years.

    Itam listed the suspects as follows: Ugochukwu Onuorah (30 years); Ikemefuna Ossai (20); Ikenna Orugu (27); Chibuike Obiefuna (19); Chinonso Olisa (19);Chinedu Okoli (21);David Ojini ( 25) and Peter Sunday (20) described as the most notorious of them.

    His chest is said to be adorned with a tattoo ‘No peace 4 d Government’.

    Itam said the operatives from the command assisted with members of the state vigilance group effected the arrest of the suspects.

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    CP Itam further disclosed that police operatives have also successfully arrested one Chidiebere Nwosu, a kidnap suspect in Uruagu, Nnewi and neutralised some of his gang members who were involved in the attack of Police personnel attached to the Rapid Response Squad after a successful arrest on 3rd October 2024.

    “We have also neutralised more than one hundred (100) notorious criminals and successfully destroyed many criminal camps in Ufuma, Eziowelle, Achalla, Ogbaru and many other places in the State.

    He expressed gratitude to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, for his guidance and overall support, and also appreciated the governor of Anambra State, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, sister Agencies, the Media, residents of the State, Anambra State Vigilante operatives, Civil Society Groups, Organizations and many others for their unflinching support within the months that he has spent in the State as the Commissioner of Police.

    He assured that the confidence reposed on the Police and other security agencies for the protection of the lives and properties of residents is not to be taken for granted.

    Governor Charles Soludo regretted the killing of the lawmaker but vowed that government would “liberate Anambra completely from these elements.”

    The governor hailed the recent successes of the security architecture under Operation Udo Ga Achi and reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to continue the crackdown until peace is fully restored.

    He said “We are on the last lap now. Kidnapping has become lucrative because they believe Anambra people will pay. But we are fighting to finish—we are ready to clear them off.”

    Hon Justice Azuka, a member of Labour Party (LP), represented Onitsha North 1 Cconstituency.

    He was sworn in as a legislator following a ruling of the State Election Petition Tribunal that proclaimed him winner of the election.

    The Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) had initially declared Douglas Egbuna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner.

  • Kidnappers kill one, abduct four in Plateau

    Kidnappers kill one, abduct four in Plateau

    • Council boss laments

    Gunmen at weekend killed one person and abducted four in Shendai community of Namu District of the Local Government of Plateau State.

    In a statement, the Special Senior Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Chairman, Qua’an-Pan Local Government Council, Danaan Cletus Sylvanus, in Jos yesterday said: “The Chairman of Qua’an-Pan Local Government Council, Hon. Christopher Audu Manship, is condoling with the people of Shendai community  in Namu over the death of one person and  is calling on  security agencies to ensure the safe release of the abducted victims.”

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    The chairman reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of citizens, and pledged to collaborate with security agencies to facilitate the prompt and safe rescue of the abducted victims.

    The statement also reads that the chairman has visited the affected areas, accompanied by security operatives led by Lt. Col. Ogunrinde Soji and his team.