Nigeria Army officer shot dead in Kogi, another abducted in Port Harcourt

A Nigeria army captain attached to the 353 Artillery Regiment, Ojo, Lagos, has been shot dead by men suspected to be armed bandits or kidnappers, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

GSM Abubakar, with army number N/13600, was traveling in his Honda Accord car on Sunday when he ran into a blockade mounted by the armed men along the notorious Okene -Lokoja highway, those familiar with the matter said.

Mr Abubakar, our sources said, was traveling from Lagos to the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, to participate in this year’s junior officers course.

He was in the company of his wife and mother when the incident happened.

The men opened fire on the officer who was dressed in mufti, killing him instantly. They then abducted his wife and mother.

Other officers traveling in other cars behind Captain Mohammed narrowly escaped the attack. They maneuvred their ways and sped away from the scene.

The officer’s remains have since been moved to the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, while the army has launched an operation to rescue his wife and mother.

A day before the incident that claimed Mr Abubakar, another group of criminals in Port Harcourt abducted M. Yohanna, a lieutenant attached to the military police detachment of the Army Sixth Division.

Ms Yohanna, army insiders said, was kidnapped at the GRA area of Port Harcourt and is yet to be seen.

The officer, with army number N/18288F, was a member of the 51 regular intake of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Her coursemates say they are praying for God’s intervention in her case.

Army spokesperson, Sagir Musa, could not be reached to comment for this story.

He did not answer or return calls made to his known telephone number.

A source close to him said he is away from Abuja for a key military operation in the North-West of Nigeria.

Nigerian army officers have their hands full fighting terrorism in the Northeast, banditry and cattle rustling in the northwest and kidnappings in the northcentral, southwest, southeast. and southsouth.

From time to time, they too become casualties of these criminal activities.