Gunmen abduct Taraba governor CPS, foreigner, 4 others

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted Mallam Hassan Mijinyawa, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Taraba Governor Darius Ishaku and a yet to be identified foreign national. Also kidnapped were four other officials of Taraba State government who were traveling, yesterday, with the CPS in the same vehicle along Bali-Gembu road. Our correspondent gathered […]

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted Mallam Hassan Mijinyawa, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Taraba Governor Darius Ishaku and a yet to be identified foreign national.

Also kidnapped were four other officials of Taraba State government who were traveling, yesterday, with the CPS in the same vehicle along Bali-Gembu road.

Our correspondent gathered that the gunmen, who numbered over 10 and armed with weapons, blocked the road early in the morning and kidnapped many travelers.

Mijinyawa was said to be traveling to Gembu town to meet the governor who had travelled to the area on Tuesday for a function to be conducted by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, in Gembu town

It was gathered that the kidnappers took the victims into a forest and up to press time, they have not made contact with the victims’ families.

Wife to the CPS, Salinas Hassan, said her husband left home at about 7am to join the governor in Gembu for an official function.

She called on the state government to help secure the release of her husband.

The spokesman of Taraba police command, ASP David Misal, did not answer calls put across to his phone. He also did not respond to a text message sent to him.

However, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the state Commissioner of Police, David Akinremi, had confirmed the incident, adding that he said police had deployed some officers in the area to commence search for the victims.