Professor Onje Gye-Wado, the former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, has been taken by gunmen who are thought to have come into his town, Gwagi, early on Friday morning.
According to a family member who confirmed the occurrence, the kidnappers entered the property through the fence, broke in through his wife’s window, and then took him to an unidentified location.
“His wife came in for the Easter celebration, and they broke into the house through her widow and took him away to an unknown destination. We are hoping that the security agencies will make efforts towards rescuing him unharmed,” the source said.
Before the incident, Professor Onje Gye-Wado, who held the position of Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State from 1999 to 2003, had managed to escape being kidnapped multiple times.
In a statement made available to reporters in Lafia on Friday, the state’s police public relations officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, confirmed the former deputy governor had been abducted and stated the police command was working to get him out safely.
“According to information received by the command, on April 7th, 2023, around 12:30 am, unidentified gunmen raided Gwagi village in the Wamba LGA, broke into Prof. Onje Gye-wado’s home and took him to an unspecified location.
“Police officers from the Wamba Division rushed to the area as soon as they received the information, but the hoodlums had already left with the victim before they arrived. In order to supplement the ongoing search to free the hostage, who is still alive, and apprehend the perpetrators of the act, The Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Baba, further mobilised and deployed reinforcement consisting of Police tactical teams, military, vigilante, and local hunters,” Nansel stated.
The police spokeswoman also asked the public to help the command by giving important information that could speed up the rescue of the former deputy governor.