Gunmen on Sunday morning kidnapped the wife of the acting chairman and Director of Personnel Management of Paikoro local government of Niger State Hajia Suaiba Sani Balarabe.
It could be recalled that Directors of Personnel Management have been acting as local government chairmen since the dissolution of local government councils in the state by the governor in February this year.
The husband of the victim is also believed to be the younger brother of Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe the newly-appointed Chief of Staff to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello.
Also kidnapped by the gunmen was the wife of the Manager of Crystal Talc Nigeria Limited Kagara, a firm owned by late Brigadier General Danstoho Mohammed.
According to sources close to the community the gunmen were said to have invaded the residence of their victims at the Shagari Low Cost Housing Estate Kagara in the wee housr of Sunday and started shooting sporadically into the air to instil fears into the residents of the estate.
Hajia Suiaba Sani Balarabe’s husband was away when the incident happened. The victim went to hid herself in the toilet from where the kidnappers fished her out.
The other woman whose name is not known yet was kidnapped in lieu of her little daughter, it was gathered.
Our sources also said that the kidnappers had made contact with the acting chairman telling him that it was actually him they were after.
The kidnappers are demanding N100million ransom from the acting local chairman before his wife can be released.
When contacted the State Police Command Public Relations Officer DSP Muhammad Abubakar confirmed the story.
DSP Muhammad Abubakar said the state police command had despatched a Divisional Police Officer in charge of Rafi local government and men of the Special Tactical Command to go after the kidnappers assuring that “very soon we will get the victims released.”