Late on Sunday night, a group of heavily armed men, suspected to be kidnappers, seized the King of Gurku community in Nasarawa State’s Karu Local Government Area, HRH Jibril Mamman Waziri, as well as his wife, Hajiya Sa’adatu Waziri.
Following their abduction from the palace, which is situated amidst mountains in the vicinity, the assailants transported the First-Class Royal leader and his wife to an undisclosed location.
A community resident, preferring to remain anonymous, informed our Correspondent that the event unfolded around 10 p.m., a time when numerous residents were already in their homes, asleep.
He said, “It was around 10 p.m. when the sad incident occurred. The gunmen, who came in their numbers, abducted the Chief and his wife. They did not get any help from the security agencies, which is why the gunmen were able to take them away.
“We are calling on the Police and other security agencies to urgently intervene in the matter so that they can be released as soon as possible.”
Verifying the occurrence, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Ramhan Nansel, conveyed to our correspondent in Lafia on Monday that active endeavors are in progress to ensure the safe and unharmed recovery of the chief and his wife.
He said, “I wish to confirm that around 10 p.m. on August 6, 2023, a distress call was received by the Nasarawa State Police command that the palace of the Chief of Gurku town located 10 kilometers away from Mararaba main town in a mountainous area, was invaded by men suspected to be kidnappers.
“Upon receipt of the information, the Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Baba, deployed a combined team of police operatives in collaboration with vigilante groups to the scene.
“Upon arrival, it was discovered that the Chief and his wife were abducted to an unknown destination. The surrounding bushes and the mountains were combed but all efforts to get them proved abortive.
“The Commissioner of police has further deployed additional men of the tactical teams; the anti-kidnapping unit, and officers from the Karu area command to the scene in order to rescue the Chief and his wife unhurt.”
