Council official kidnapped in Borno

Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri

A local government official in Borno State has been abducted alongside his wife and child.

Sources said the official, Bukar Hassan, a cashier with Hawul Local Government was kidnapped along  Buni Gari-Biu road. He was returning from Maiduguri after a visit on Wednesday afternoon when his abductors swooped on his vehicle around Kamuya village about 76 kms to Damaturu, Yobe State, abducted him, his wife and child.

Sources said the abductors later released the wife and held the cashier and his son hostage since Wednesday afternoon.

“The kidnappers have demanded N10 million,” an official told our correspondent on condition of anonymity. The source said the kidnapper has slashed the amount to N7 million and later N5 million, although neither Bukar’s family nor his local government authority has paid the ransom.

The caretaker chairman of Hawul Local  Government, Mr Daniel Malang confirmed the incident to our correspondent. He also said the kidnappers demanded a ransom before they could release the cashier and his son.

The incident was the first kidnap case outside Boko Haram terror activities in Borno State. Boko Haram has kidnapped over 300 people, including about 200 Chibok schoolgirls and some teenagers in Konduga and Bama local government areas in the state without demanding a ransom.