From Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi
Gunmen have abducted a Nursing Mother, 4 month old baby and two others at Rafin Ciyawa village in Ningi Local Governmment Area of Bauchi State.
Chairman of Ningi Local Government Area Mamuda Hassan Tabla, and Police Public Relations Officer SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil separately confirmed the incident.
Reports from the area revealed that the gunmen invaded the village on the night of Thursday, 28th July at about 2 am during which the gunmen abducted one male, a nursing mother with her baby and another person.
On his part Police Spokesman Wakil said ” the gunmen went to the house of one Mr Nnami Sunday a businessman at Rafin Ciyawa village in Ningi LGA of Bauchi State took away his wife, Mrs Mercy Nnami 42 years old with her 4 months old baby boy and a sales boy, one Bala Ali who is 27 years old”.
He said “On receiving the information, the Commissioner of Police, Umar Sanda directed the DPO of Ningi, Burra and the Area Commander to commence discreet investigations, Presently, the Command and a group of vigilante have been dispatched to the forests to comb the area for possible rescue of the victims. Other sister security agencies are collaborating with the Police on the rescue mission”.
Chairman of Ningi Mamuda Hassan Tabla said that 24 hours after the abduction, the kidnappers released the nursing mother and the baby after some amount was paid but are holding onto the businessman demanding the sum of N10m before they will release him.
In another development, last Saturday, yet-to-be-identified gunmen believed to be kidnappers abducted another businessman, Alh Ali Dogonruwa in his house located in Dogonruwa village in Ningi LGA.
Hon Mamuda Hassan Tabla, confirmed the development saying that he received the information with great shock and apprehension considering that he was trying to sort out a previous case before this one.
He said that as a Council, a tight security measure has been put in place to ensure that all those in captivity with the kidnappers were safely released as well as ensure that such did not happen again in the area.
The Council Chairman said that the unknown gunmen are resurfacing in the area because of the rainy season which has turned the forest green everywhere thereby taking advantage to operate.
He lamented that because of the muddy nature of the terrain, security agents can no longer enter the bushes to comb it unlike they do during the dry season .
Chairman appealed to the State Government to deploy more well-armed security personnel, particularly soldiers to the area.
He expressed confidence that with more armed personnel, there will be effective patrol and combing of the entire forest to smoke out the bandits from their hiding areas as was done in the previous years which yielded positive results as the bandits fled the area thereby making the area peaceful.
