Molly Kilete, Abuja
The traditional ruler of Rubochi, in Kuje Area Council of the Federal CapitalTerritory (FCT), Ibrahim Pada, has been kidnapped.
Pada, a third class chief and member of the FCT Council of Chiefs is said to have been kidnapped by gunmen numbering over 40 Tuesday night.
It was gathered that some of his sons who tried to rescue him from his abductors sustained serious injuries from the kidnappers who used machetes on them.
The gunmen are yet to make contact with the family of the traditional ruler at the time of filing this report.
Related: Police confirm abduction of traditional ruler by gunmen in FCT
FCT Coordinator of the Coalition of Indigenous Groups Association, Ezekiel Dalhatu, broke the news of the kidnapping.
The police say it has commenced a manhunt to rescue the ethnarch alive.
Deputy Public Relations Officer in charge of the command Yusuf Mariam, who confirmed the incident, said: “We are making efforts to rescue the victim and we are also leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we arrest the perpetrators of this heinous crime.”
Kidnappings have become common in the FCT, especially in the villages. It will be recalled that kidnappers had recently stormed Kuje in commando style, abducting ten people, including a Civil Defence Officer.
Bandits fleeing the military onslaught in Zamfara and Katsina states in the North West are suspected to have infiltrated the six area councils in a new wave of kidnapping.
On the night of that attack, two persons, including a servicing policeman identified as Selven, were kidnapped.
Related: Kidnapping: Kuje residents urge FG to introduce state police
The Commissioner of Police Bala Ciroma had during a press conference announced the launch of a joint counteroperation to rescue kidnap victims in the FCT, and to secure vulnerable communities especially around the Kuje-Pegi-Rubochi area.