UBEC Chairman, daughter kidnapped

In yet another dreadful attack, kidnappers on Monday abducted the board chairman of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Muhammed Mahmood, along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway.

Mr Mahmood was abducted alongside his daughter while travelling from Kaduna to Abuja Monday afternoon.

They were kidnapped around Katari, a village few kilometres from Zuba, an Abuja suburb.

Hussaini Danladi, an aide to the chairman, said the incident occurred in the afternoon.

“My boss has been kidnapped,” a disturbed Mr Danladi told PREMIUM TIMES on the telephone Monday evening. “I received the information around 3.30 p.m. He was going from Kaduna to Abuja.

“Up till now they (the kidnappers) have not reached and we are still waiting for information.”

The spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, Yakubu Sabo, said the force is working on getting more details and would release a statement later on Monday.

Series of attacks have been carried out along the route in recent months, forcing travellers to abandon the route for the safer rail journey.

Abduction of about 30 travellers early April instigated a public outcry which saw many Nigerians charge security operatives to put an end to the menace.

The police, in response, stormed the bushes along the highway in a bid to fish out the perpetrators.

In separate press releases, the police claimed that a good number of the abductors were killed by security operatives during exchange of fire.