Monday 6 May 2019

Gunmen Kidnap Permanent Secretary in Taraba, OAU Professor in Ife

The Permanent Secretary, Taraba State Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs Suzzy Nathan, was on Sunday abducted from her home in Jalingo by unknown gunmen.

The gunmen stormed her residence at Kasuwa Bera area of the town at about 2.00am and shot sporadically for over an hour before gaining entrance into her house and was eventually abducted and taken to an unknown destination.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Taraba State Command, DSP David Misal who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Jalingo said the Command was yet to ascertain whether it was actually a case of kidnapping as the abductors are yet to establish contact.

The PPRO further stated that the Command would use intelligence to unravel the real motive of the incident but lamented that the Police were not alerted on time. He assured that no stone would be left unturned to apprehend the culprits.

According to him “The Police were not alerted on time about the incident but the permanent Secretary is missing so we are using our intelligence to ascertain whether it is a case of kidnapping,” he said.

THISDAY gathered that residents of the area were thrown into panic by the sporadic gunshots as there had been two cases of abduction in the area in the past one month including the kidnapping of a Pastor of a new generation Church.




Similarly, gunmen  have kidnapped Mr. Adegbehingbe, a professor at the College of Health Sciences, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife along Ife-Ibadan Expressway.

Premium Times correspondent gathered that he was abducted during a robbery attack that occurred along Ife/Ibadan expressway around 9:15 p.m. on Sunday while he was traveling from Ibadan to Ife.

Of all the vehicles attacked, Mr Adegbehingbe, who was in his vehicle, was singled out and abducted.

The Chief Security Officer (CSO) of OAU, Babatunde Oyatokun, told PREMIUM TIMES that efforts are being made to rescue the victim.

“Yes, I’m presently at Apomu. I have not been in Ife since yesterday. They were coming from Ibadan but (were) attacked in between Asejire and Apomu by armed robbers. While they attacked all the vehicles on the road at that time, he was singled out. They picked him and took him away.

“His wife is also here with us and we’ve been able to report the case and the police are on top of the situation. So, I’m here in Apomu to take the madam (the wife of the kidnapped lecturer) to Ife because she was also there during the attack,” he told PREMIUM TIMES.

Also, the Police Area Commander in Ile-Ife, Folorunsho Adegboye, confirmed the incident to PREMIUM TIMES. He, however, said he could not speak officially on the matter because he is on leave.

Culled from: ThisDay And Premium Times Newspapers

No comments: