Gunmen kidnap INEC official in Adamawa

Suspected kidnappers have abducted a staffer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Adamawa, Ibrahim Hammawa Waziri, security and family sources have said.

A relative of the victim, who does not want his name in print, told reporters on Saturday the incident took place around 1 a.m. on Thursday.

“The gunmen, in their numbers, stormed his house at Shagari quarters in Yola and whisked him away.

”We were all thrown into confusion as a result of the development as people expressed shock by (over) the incident,” the source said.

He said already, the kidnappers have established contact with the family and are demanding N7 million as ransom.

“The kidnappers have called and demanded N7 million ransom but we told them that the kidnapped fellow was the breadwinner of this family.

“The man is the one shouldering the responsibility of all the family so we told the kidnappers that the man can’t have money in view of the weight he shoulders.

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“But the kidnappers insisted that they don’t kidnap anybody unless they are sure that he has money. We were able to beat down the ransom from N7 million to N2 million.

”We have started selling his cows and other household items like fridge to be able to raise the money,” the source added.

When contacted, the police public relations officer in the state, Sulaiman Nguroje, confirmed the development.

“We are doing everything to ensure the release of the victim and arrest of the culprits,” he said, as usual.

In the recent time, kidnapping for ransom has become a major security threat in Adamawa State and other parts of the nation, with security operatives being victims themselves.