Gunmen abducted Mr Charles Mato, the Sum Pyem and paramount ruler of Gindri, in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau, yesterday.
Media Officer of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), the military task force maintaining peace in the state, Maj. Ishaku Takwa, confirmed the abduction.
He told newsmen, yesterday, in Jos, that Mato was kidnapped from his residence at Gindiri. He said troops of the task force had been mobilised to the area to conduct search and rescue.
“Troops of OPSH at Gyambus in Mangu have been mobilised to the area. They are on the trail of the kidnappers,’’ Takwa said.
Also, gunmen suspected to be bandits abducted two men on Christmas day, in Ijan-Ekiti, Gbonyino Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
The two victims, who were on a motorbike were said to have been kidnapped, on Saturday, around 5:30pm.
One of the victims, simply identified as Ajankoro, a cocoa merchant, and the motorcyclist conveying him were said to be on their way from Ilupeju-Ijan to Ijan-Ekiti when they were accosted by the bandits who kidnapped them and whisked them away to an unknown destination.
The Ekiti Police command spokesperson, ASP Sunday Abutu, when contacted, said he had not been briefed of the development. He promised to speak to the press once he confirmed the report.
In a related development, some suspected gunmen who kidnapped a traditional chief, Emmanuel Obafemi, the Odolofin of Ijan-Ekiti, in Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State, on Thursday, have demanded N20 million to free him.
A family source, who preferred anonymity, said the kidnappers called on Friday night and demanded the ransom before they could release the victim.
“They have called to ask for this huge amount of money before they can set him free, the amount is so exorbitant, and we don’t know how to source the fund.
“We only pleaded for his safe release from their den. It’s still a sad Christmas for us, as the bread winner of our family has been taken to unknown destination and his whereabouts cannot be ascertained,” the source said.
When contacted on the development, the Commandant of Amotekun Corps in Ekiti State, Brig.-Gen. Joe Komolafe (retd), said he was not aware of the ransom being demanded by the abductors.
He said his men are working round the clock to ensure that the victim is released unhurt.
“I’m not aware of ransom demanded by the bandits; all I know is that our men have been deployed to the areas where we suspected the gunmen might have used as their hideout,” he said.
Komolafe advised residents of the community to volunteer timely and useful information that can lead to the arrest of the bandits.