Gunmen, suspected to be bandits, have abducted two Nigerian journalists and their family members in Kaduna State.
The armed men stormed Danhonu community in Millennium city of Chikun local government area of Kaduna and raided houses of the reporters of The Nation newspaper, AbdulGafar Alabelewe, and that of Blueprint newspaper, AbdulRaheem Aodu, their wives and children .
Alabelewe is also the current chairman of the correspondents chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council.
One of the victims’ family members, Taofeeq Olayemi, who confirmed the incident, said the bandits invaded the area around 10.30 pm and shot indiscriminately before carrying out their act. He said the bandits kidnapped Alabelewe, his wife, and two of his children, while Aodu and his wife, who was also sick, were kidnapped, leaving behind their sick daughter.
According to him, “Initially, they picked AbdulGafar, his wife, and three of his children and a girl staying with them before asking the girl to return with one of the children, and left with AbdulGafar, his wife, and two children. They shattered their doors and windows and removed their burglary after scaling the fence”.
Olayemi, who is also a neighbour to the victims, added, “They came around 10:30 pm on Saturday and started shooting indiscriminately.
“They first forced Aodu’s door open and picked him and his wife and left their sick daughter behind. Then, they entered AbdulGafar’s house through the fence and jumped into his house. They went straight into his bedroom and picked him, his wife, and two of their kids and left immediately, after which the vigilantes arrived and started shooting into the air”.
As of the time of filing this report, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, could not be reached for comments as his telephone line was not connecting.
In a related development, a former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Takai Shamang, was also abducted in his hometown, Biniki, in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Shamang, 78, was also a former President General of the National Union of Electricity and Gas Workers, now National Unctionsion of Electricity Employees, between 1982 and 1989. He is the President and Founder of Gantys Aid for Widows, Orphans and Needy Foundation, popularly known as GAWON Foundation.
Confirming the development to newsmen, his daughter, Mrs. Grace Abbin, said her 78-year-old father was abducted at his residence in Biniki, at about 8:00 pm on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has condemned the abduction of its members in the State. The condemnation is contained in a statement issued in Kaduna yesterday by the council’s Chairman, Asma’u Halilu, and the Secretary, Gambo Sanga.
According to the statement, the NUJ described the abduction of its members and their families as unfortunate and appealed to the security agencies in the state to rescue the captives from the kidnappers’ den.
