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From Gyang Bere, Jos
The District Head of Panyam in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Adamu Derwam, has been kidnapped by gunmen.
It was gathered that the traditional ruler was abducted at his residence in Panyam town in the early hours yesterday by the heavily armed gunmen.
Sources in the community revealed that the armed men invaded the palace at about 1:30am and started shooting sporadically before taking their victim to an unknown destination.
A resident, who gave his name as Pius Garuba, confirmed the abduction of the monarch and described it as unfortunate.
He said: “It was last night, around 2am, that the bandits, who were more than 20 and heavily armed, surrounded the district head’s palace in Panyam. Because his house was not fenced, some villagers, who saw how his house was surrounded by strange people, alerted other members of the community through a community bell.
“But, immediately the bandits heard the bell, they started firing gunshots and eventually went away with the traditional ruler, leaving the community helpless.”
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Alfred Alabo, confirmed the incident and said a tactical team of police, military, vigilante and hunters had been deployed to the area to rescue the paramount ruler. He assured that effort was being made to rescue the victim unhurt.
Alabo said the security was also working to restore normalcy in the community, and urged the public to give the police credible information on how to track the perpetrators of the crime.
The District Head of Panyam is the fifth traditional ruler to have been kidnapped in Plateau in the last six months.
The police command in Bauchi state also confirmed the abduction of the Village Head of Zira, Alhaji Yahya Abubakar, and his son, Habibu Saleh, in Toro Local Government Area of the state.
The spokesman of the Command, SP Ahmed Wakil, in a statement made available to newsmen yesterday, in Bauchi, said the gunmen attacked the village, under Rishi Police Division, a border village with Plateau state, at about 2am, on Saturday.
Wakil said the police search team was on the trail in the forests of the area.
“The command has since dispatched a team of detectives and other police officers to rescue the victims and, presently, our men are combing the bush in search of the abducted victims. We assure residents that the abducted persons shall soon be rescued,” he said.
He appealed to the general public to remain calm and go about their normal businesses and cooperate with the police authorities.
Wakil also called on the public to report suspected movements of people as well as suspicious people to the police or other security agencies in the area.
