Enyioha Opara, Minna
Unknown gunmen have abducted a sister-in-law to the Chief of Staff to the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe, and the wife of Special Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps in Kagara, Rafi Local Government Area of the state.
The incident was said to have occurred on Sunday.
It was learnt that the kidnappers had made contact with the victims’ families and demanded an unspecified amount as ransom in exchange for the captives.
Northern City News gathered in Minna on Tuesday that the gunmen stormed Kagara in the early hours of Sunday and shot into the air several times before abducting the two women.
A member of the Balarabe family, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed that one of the victims is the wife of the elder brother of the Chief of Staff to the governor.
The Special Marshall of the FRSC, whose wife was also abducted, is attached to Kagara in the Rafi Local Government Area.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Abubakar, confirmed the abductions.
He said, “We have drafted our men on rescue mission to the area.
“We are on top of the situation; we cannot allow kidnappers to take over the state. We are going to make the state uncomfortable for them.”
The spokesman assured members of the public that the police would continue to improve on its strategies to bring crime and criminality to the bare minimum in the state.
He also solicited the cooperation of residents of the state in giving useful information to the police and other security agencies.