A Divisional Police Officer recently transferred to the Pankshin Division of Plateau State has been kidnapped by gunmen.
According to Tribune Online the DPO, whose name could not be ascertained, was kidnapped on Wednesday at the hotel where he lodged in the local government because he had just been transferred to the division.
A source close to the hotel named “Woktori hotel,” where the DPO was alleged to have been kidnapped, disclosed to Tribune Online that the gunmen in their large numbers invaded the hotel two days ago at about 10:45 p.m., abducted him at gunpoint, and whisked him to an unknown destination.
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“The kidnappers forced their way in at about 10:45 p.m.; before they entered, they released several gunshots into the air.” “It was like the DPO was their target; they shot him in the leg before he was taken away,” said the source.
It was further learned that men of the Plateau State Police Command and other security agencies are presently combing the forest and hills in the area to rescue the senior police officer.
As of the time of filing this report, the Police Public Relations Officer in Plateau State, DSP Alfred Alabo, is yet to make a statement about the incident.
The local government area where the DPO was kidnapped and other surrounding council areas have been under siege by kidnappers for quite some time, as residents often go to bed as early as 7:00 p.m. for fear of being kidnapped.
A community leader in Pankshin who lives close to where the DPO was kidnapped and preferred to be anonymous pointed out that there is no week in the Pankshin local government area without a report of one or two people kidnapped.
According to him, they go for anyone, not minding their status, and collect ransoms based on the financial capacity of their abductors.
