The Commissioner of Information, Culture, and Tourism for the Benue State, Matthew Abo, has reportedly been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen.
According to information obtained by Naija News, Abo was kidnapped from his house in his village of Zaki-Biam in the state’s Ukum Local Government Area on Sunday night.
According to Daily Trust, the commissioner was kidnapped by gunmen who arrived to his home in Zaki-Biam, a rural community known for having the biggest yam market in the nation, on four motorcycles.
It was reported that when the gunmen arrived at Abo’s home, they told everyone—including his wife and kids—to lie face down before removing him on one of the motorcycles and riding off to an unidentified location.
Tahav Agerzua, a former media assistant to two past state governors, claimed that the abductors forced the commissioner to sit behind the rider of one of the motorcycles while a second gunman sandwiched him.
Governor Hyacinth Alia’s chief press secretary, Kula Tersoo, told Daily Trust that the commissioner had been abducted.
“Unfortunately, he (the commissioner) was kidnapped in his rural Ukum LGA home at around 8 o’clock on Sunday, September 24, 2023,” he said.
“When the armed men entered, he was inside his house with his family, kids, and community members. He was coerced into riding a bike.
His Excellency, Governor Hyacinth Alia has already instructed and detailed the security operatives to ensure his safe release from the kidnappers’ den once we learned of the terrible event.