Kidnappers abduct army officer in Kaduna

Sola Ojo, Kaduna

A Lieutenant in the Nigeria Army has been abducted by armed kidnappers at a shop near Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

A source within the area told Saturday Sun that the army officer, dressed in casuals, had gone to the shop to buy some personal items when the kidnappers came calling leading to people scampering for safety.

The problem of kidnapping along the three major highways in Kaduna, namely; Kaduna-Abuja, Kaduna-Zaria and Kaduna-Birni Gwari, has been giving motorists hard time while the state government and security agencies’ efforts are yet to produce commensurate results when compared to the amount of monetary and human resources so far expended to put the situation under control.

The State Police Command spokesman, DSP Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the development in a telephone call. The name of the abducted army officer was given as Lieutenant A. Falana. He was seized on Monday evening but has since been able to escape from his abductors unhurt, police records said.

According to Sabo, “We were told he was picked at a shop near ABU Monday evening. But, he has been able to escape unhurt.” But, a source in the Army who spoke in confidence denied the incident, claiming there was no such to best of his knowledge.

According to him, “let me check and get back to you.” He did call back within a few minutes and said, “I have checked and no one among us was kidnapped.”