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Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Hassan Mijinyawa, one government official and an expatriate, whose identities are yet to be ascertained, were yesterday abducted by gunmen in the Bali-Gashaka axis of the state. The Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, confirmed this to newsmen yesterday in Jalingo.
Manu, who said the abductors were yet to contact anybody, urged the public to pray for safe release of Mijinyawa.
The wife of the CPS, Hajiya Sekina Mijinyawa, who also confirmed the incident, said her husband left home for Gembu in Sardauna Local Government Area at about 7am yesterday to meet with Governor Darius Ishaku, who is currently on a campaign tour of the local government, when he was abducted.
She appealed to the state government and security agencies to rescue her husband and other victims. She also pleaded with the abductors to spare the life of the victims and release them unhurt.
Mr. David Akinremi, Taraba State commissioner of police, also confirmed the incident, and said police have been deployed to the area to commence a search for the victims, while calling on the public to provide useful information that would help in the safe rescue of the victims.
Narrating the incident, Mr. Yusuf Garba, the driver of the bus, who narrowly escaped from the scene, said, apart from the CPS and the government official that were abducted from the bus, a foreign expatriate whom he said was on his way to one of the internally displaced persons camp was also kidnapped.
Garba said that the kidnappers took over the highway for several hours and, after stealing from the victims, they led the CPS and others into the forest.
