Plateau police begin investigation into Wase kidnapping

The Plateau State Police Command has confirmed it has begun investigations into the abduction of travellers in Wase Local Government Area, a day after PREMIUM TIMES reported that at least 28 people were kidnapped while travelling to an Islamic event in the area.

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In a statement issued on Tuesday, the police said the kidnapping occurred on 21 December along the route to Gaji village in Bashar District of Wase. The command’s spokesperson, Alfred Alabo, said the police received a report of the incident on 22 December from a resident and immediately deployed detectives to the area.

“Upon receiving the report from a good Samaritan, an intelligence-driven team of detectives was promptly mobilised to the scene,” Mr Alabo said. He added that the Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, had ordered “frantic efforts to rescue the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.”

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that gunmen abducted 28 travellers from the Zak community in the Bashar District while they were on their way to Sabon Layi to attend an Islamic event. The incident reportedly happened around 8 p.m. on Sunday.

A youth leader in Wase, Sapi’i Sambo, said that the victims included men, women and children. “The incident happened around 8 p.m. when they were heading to Sabon Layi for the event,” he said. “The gunmen ambushed their vehicle at the outskirts of the community, abducted all the passengers, including children, and abandoned the vehicle by the roadside.”

Mr Sambo, the state police public relations officer, said two princes and a religious leader who were part of the delegation were among those abducted. He added that the vehicle conveying the travellers, owned by a community leader in Zak, was discovered abandoned by the roadside on Monday morning. “It was during investigations that the community realised the vehicle was the one conveying the abducted travellers,” he said.

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Another resident of Bashar town, Ibrahim Musa, also confirmed the abduction, noting that the whereabouts of the victims were still unknown as of Monday. He said community efforts to trace them had not yielded results.

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Reacting to the report at the time, Mr Alabo said that the police were investigating the incident. In his latest statement, he appealed to members of the public to support ongoing efforts. “We appeal to anyone with useful information regarding this incident to contact the nearest police station or call the command’s emergency lines,” he said.

Although a relative of the victim told journalists that the kidnappers had demanded ransom payment, the police did not comment on the ransom demand.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that a relative of one of the victims, Ibrahim Musa, told journalists on Tuesday that the abductors contacted the families to make their demands.

“The kidnappers called me last night and said we must pay ₦1.5 million for each person, irrespective of age or gender,” Mr Musa said. “They told us our relatives arrived safely at their camp and are in good condition.”

The latest abduction adds to a pattern of insecurity in Wase and neighbouring parts of Plateau State, where residents have reported repeated cases of kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling in recent years. Community leaders have consistently urged security agencies to intensify operations against armed groups operating across the area.