A former governorship aspirant in the 2019 election in Plateau State, Nkemi Nicholas Nshe, has been kidnapped by gunmen.

The PUNCH gathered that Nshe, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party who had served as the chairman of Shendam Local Government Area of the state at different periods in the past, was kidnapped at his residence in the council area in the early hours of Saturday.

Governor Simon Lalong hails from Shendam LGA in the Southern Zone.

Nshe’s abduction came barely 24 hours after kidnappers released a traditional ruler in the neighbouring central zone of the state, Charles Mato Dakat.

Before his release, the traditional ruler was abducted by gunmen at his palace in Gindiri community, Mangu LGA last Sunday around 1am.

He spent five days in the hands of the kidnappers who had demanded N500 million ransom.

Although troops of the Military Taskforce in charge of maintaining peace in the state, otherwise known as Operation Safe Haven, said they arrested eight persons in connection with the kidnap of the monarch, they were unable to disclose if any ransom was eventually paid to secure his freedom

However, sources in Shendam LGA confirmed the latest abduction to The PUNCH in Jos on Sunday

An associate of Nshe in Shendam, who lamented the abduction of the former council boss, told our Correspondent that the incident was causing tension in the Council area.

He said, “Please join us in praying for the release of Dr Nkemi Nshe who was forcefully kidnapped from his Shendam residence in the early hours of Saturday being the New Year day, January 1, 2022. It was in the night that the gunmen came to his house and whisked him away. They did not go with his phone.

“The incident is rather unfortunate. We don’t know where they have taken him to. But yesterday evening (Saturday), I learnt that the kidnappers called the family members through the phone number of the son and demanded N100 million ransom which they later reduced to N50 million.

“Where will they get that kind of money when people are just suffering everywhere? It baffles me why the Federal Government through the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy would make Nigerians go through hard experiences by subjecting them to SIM card registration and yet, this kind of thing would be happening without the perpetrators being apprehended. What is the relevance of that registration exercise? Where are we going in this country in this kind of situation? We pray that the former council chairman be released safely because he has done nothing to warrant his abduction.”

The Spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Ubah Ogaba, when contacted said he would get back to our Correspondent after getting details on the incident.

HonNL:


PUNCH