Gunmen Abduct Nursing Mother, 4-Month-Old Baby, 2 Others, Demand N10m In Bauchi
By Abdullahi Idris,Bauchi
As the spate of the kidnapping of people for ransom heightens in Bauchi State, four people have been reportedly kidnapped by yet-to-be-identified gunmen at Rafin Ciyawa village in Ningi LGA of Bauchi State.
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.
A resident of Rafin Ciyawa who spoke to our correspondent said that the gunmen shot sporadically when they invaded the village scaring people away before they perpetrated the act.
He, therefore, appealed to the concerned authorities to as a matter of urgency come to their aid in order to make them live in peace and do their normal legitimate businesses.
Executive Chairperson of Ningi LGC, Mamuda Hassan Tabla who spoke on the development narrated that the unknown gunmen abducted an Ibo businessman, his nursing wife and her baby as well as his sales boy.
Mamuda Hassan Tabla added however 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, on 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 however 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 opining that the bandits are using the situation to succeed in their operations.
Mamuda Hassan Tabla then appealed to the State Government to as a matter of urgency come to the aid of the Council by deploying 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.
While confirming the development, Bauchi State Police Command through its PPRO, SP Ahmed Wakili explained that “At about 2.00hrs, unknown gunmen stormed 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”.
The PPRO added that “On receiving the information, the Commissioner of Police, Umar Sanda directed the DPO of Ningi, Burra and the Area Commander to commence discreet investigations”.
According to him, “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”.
