Unknown gunmen kidnap Taraba Deputy Governor’s mother

Unknown gunmen on Monday night kidnapped the mother of Taraba State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu in Mutum Biyu, Gassol local government area of the state, Police has confirmed.

Hajia Beli Manu, 80, was abducted at her residence at about 9.00pm by her assailants who were armed with dangerous weapons in the presence of other family members.

A relative, whose identity is yet to be verified as at the time of filing the report was shot dead by the kidnappers who were said to have shot sporadically into the air before escaping with their victim.

The deputy governor, who was yet to visit Mutum Biyu, his home town as at the time of filing the report is said to have received the news of the kidnap with sadness.

Speaking to journalists his Director of Press, Mallam Lawal Sani Kona stated that his principal received the news with rude shock and sadness adding that he would soon be in the town.

He further revealed that the kidnappers have neither contacted the family nor call to demand for ransom just as he appealed to the abductors not to harm or injure the matriarch of the Manu family.

This is coming less than two weeks after Deputy Senate Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha raised an alarm on the floor of the Senate over the influx of unknown persons into Taraba State particularly Gassol, Bali, Ibi and Wukari local government areas.

Bwacha, who represents Taraba South in the red chamber called on the police and other security agencies to take proactive measures over the massive influx of strange people into Taraba but was however countered by his counterpart from the state, Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf representing Taraba central who described Bwacha’s alarm as baseless.

But corroborating Bwacha’s claims, the State Police Commissioner, Mr. Shaba Alkali disclosed that the state police command has intercepted truck loads of people that migrated to the state from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states that has come under serious bombardment in recent times.

The CP however dispelled insinuations that the people could be members of the Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram saying they were discovered to be people running away from crisis after due and proper screenings were conducted on them.