The Council Chairman of Munya Local Government Area of Niger State, Aminu Najumei, has revealed that the council secretary, Daina Usman, who was abducted on Thursday night, managed to escape from his abductors on Friday.
Najumei, while reacting to the news of Usman’s abduction, said he escaped when the bandits were searching for a place to hide them. Bandits had on Thursday abducted Usman along with his wife, two children, and one other person during a late-night attack in Sarkin Pawa, Niger State. The attack reportedly occurred around 10 pm when the bandits infiltrated Usman’s residence near the riverbank in Sarkin Pawa.
It was gathered that the council secretary managed to escape when the bandits were trying to take them to a hiding place, leaving his wife and children behind. After abducting the victims, the bandits fled with them into the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to a security source, Sarkin Pawa is frequently targeted by bandits and terrorists, while Chikun Local Government Area serves as a known escape route for criminal elements operating in the region. Upon receiving a distress call from local vigilantes, security operatives mobilised a joint task force comprising military personnel from the Forward Operating Base in Sarkin Pawa, Niger State Police Tactical Teams, and local vigilante groups to track the kidnappers.
The security operatives were said to have pursued the bandits into Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where they launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to track down the kidnappers and ensure the safety of the victims.
The spokesman for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the abduction, stating that efforts were ongoing to rescue the remaining victims.
“He was abducted yesterday around 10 pm, and he was released early this morning around 3 am. Efforts to rescue others are in progress,” Abiodun said in a terse WhatsApp message.
