Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Twenty–four hours after armed men, believed to be security operatives, whisked away the Publisher of Weekly Insight, Mr. Jones Abiri, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, there is still confusion over is whereabouts.
The confusion stems from the denial by the Department of State Security (DSS) in Yenagoa and its headquarters, in Abuja, of being behind the abduction.
Abiri, who was arrested and detained, in 2016, by the DSS, over allegations of being a militant leader, was later released in 2018, following a national and international pressure, demanding for his release.
He was said to be in the middle of a meeting with some colleagues, on Saturday, at the Bayelsa State Independent Publishers Association (BIPA) secretariat, when armed men in Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and Hilux stormed the venue of the meeting and whisked him away.
Mr. Lucky Abiri, the younger brother, on behalf of the family, said since the family learnt that armed men took Jones, the family has been making calls to know his whereabouts.
The Chairman of BIPA, Mr. Easterday Ayibatari, in an interview, said from all indications, the DSS would be the first port of call in seeking Abiri’s whereabouts.