Gunmen kidnap 12 police ASPs on special assignment

By GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna

Unknown gunmen have abducted 12 Assistant Superintendents of Police on their way to Zamfara from Borno state for a special assignment, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has reported.

BBC reported that the police officers were on their way to Zamfara to conduct a special operation when they were waylaid and abducted by the gunmen.

It said the incident occurred 12 days ago, but only came to light on Tuesday.

A wife of one of the abducted police officers was quoted as saying when she did not hear from her husband for three days, she went to a police barracks in Borno, where she was told that he had been abducted along with 11 of his colleagues.

BBC also quoted the woman as saying she got a phone call from her husband who asked her to raise the ransom money by selling off their home.

“He called me on Wednesday and told me that he was in the hands of the kidnappers,” she said.

She said her husband told her that if she could not raise at least N1 million, “there will be trouble.”

According to the woman, a police officer later called her to request that she gets N800,000 for the release of her husband.

“I can’t tell you I have any other information. We are in a state of frustration,” BBC quoted her as saying.

Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, had yet to make any statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.