Gunmen have reportedly kidnapped a Divisional Police Officer recently transferred to the Pankshin Division of Plateau State.
According to the Tribune, the DPO, whose identity remained unknown, was abducted on Wednesday from the hotel where he was staying after being reassigned to the division from another branch of government.
According to a source close to the hotel dubbed “Woktori hotel,” from which the DPO was allegedly kidnapped two days ago, the gunmen stormed the hotel at around 10:45 p.m., kidnapped the official at gunpoint, and took him away to an unspecified location.
“The kidnappers made their way in around 10:45 p.m., firing multiple bullets into the air before entering.” “It seemed as though the DPO was their goal; they shot him in the leg before dragging him away,” the source claimed.
It was also learned that men from the Plateau State Police Command and other security agencies are currently combing the area’s woodland and hills for the senior police officer.
All attempts to obtain confirmation of the DPO’s kidnapping from the Plateau State Police Command’s spokesman, DSP Alfred Alabo, were futile, since many phone calls and SMS messages addressed to him were not returned.
For quite some time, the local government area where the DPO was kidnapped and other surrounding council areas have been under siege by kidnappers, with residents often going to bed as early as 7:00 p.m. out of fear of being kidnapped.
A Pankshin community leader who lives near to where the DPO was kidnapped and who pleaded anonymity noted that one or two kidnappings are reported every week in the Pankshin local government area.
According to him, they target anyone, regardless of their social standing, and demand ransoms based on the financial capabilities of their kidnappers.
