The King of the Gurku community in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Nigeria, HRH Jibril Mamman Waziri, and his wife, Hajiya Sa’adatu Waziri, were taken Sunday night by gunmen who are believed to be kidnappers.
The gunmen kidnapped the First-Class Royal father and his wife and took them to an unidentified location near the palace, which is situated around local mountains.
An anonymous community resident told our correspondent that the incident took place at around 10 p.m. after most residents had gone to sleep in their individual homes.
“The sad incident happened around ten o’clock,” he recalled. The Chief and his wife were taken hostage by the gunmen who arrived in large numbers. The fact that they received no assistance from the security services allowed the gunmen to abduct them.
“We are requesting that the Police and other security agencies take immediate action in this matter to ensure that they are released as soon as possible.”
DSP Ramhan Nansel, the state’s police public relations officer, confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Lafia on Monday and said efforts were being made to save the chief and his wife without any injuries.
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 kilometres 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 had been abducted to an unknown destination. The surrounding bushes and 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.”