By Collins Sunday – Lafia
A former Education Secretary in Nasarawa local government area of Nasarawa state, Mallam Salihu have been reportedly killed following an attack on travelers by unknown gunmen along Mungi sharp conner Buga Gwari, Gadabuke – Toto road.
Gadabuke Emirate Council Secretary, Abdullahi Baba who confirmed the incident explained that the gunmen in their numbers came out from a bush along the road and attacked the vehicles.
Abdullahi Baba said that about 20 travelers in three commercial vehicles were kidnapped by the gunmen, noting that the former education secretary who was also traveling alongside his friend in a private vehicle were also taken away but his dead body was later found in a nearby bush.
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A resident of the area who does not want her name mentioned in the print also confirmed that the incident occured on Monday along Toto – Gadabuke road.
“It was along Toto -Gadabuke road yesterday and they stopped about four vehicles and abducted all the passengers.
“The relatives of some of the victims said up to 20 people were taken to the bush near Gadabuke road. But until now, they have not started calling for their ransoms and non of them have been released”.
Meanwhile, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Ramhan Nansel has said that the command is not aware of the kidnap of the 20 travellers but has recovered a vehicle in the location with registration number NTT 256 AA with two mobile phones and the force was yet to know the occupants of the vehicle.
He however said that “yesterday around 13:50 hours, we received an information that a vehicle was abandoned at Buga Gwari in Gadabuke of Toto Local Government Area.
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“We drafted police men to the scene and recovered a Rover salon car with Registration Number NTT 265 AA and two mobile phones were discovered inside the vehicle but the whereabouts of the occupants were not known.”
He added that, “somebody recognized the vehicle and said it belongs to his brother who left Nasarawa for Gadabuke yesterday morning so the vehicle was kept in the station.”
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“When the CP was informed, he directed the Divisional Police Officer in Toto to mobilize his personnel and they should start combing the bushes.”
“He later mobilized the Officer-in-Charge, Anti-kidnapping, Police mobile force, hunters and vigilantes to assist them in the search”, he said.
ASP Ramhan Nansel however explained that as at this morning, a corpse has been recovered by the police and the force is doing everything within it’s powers to unravel exactly what transpired as exhaustive investigation is ongoing.
