Taraba governor’s aide abducted by gunmen

Suspected gunmen have kidnapped Bala Baba, senior special assistant to Darius Ishaku, governor of Taraba state.

Baba was said to have been abducted in the early hours of Tuesday at his residence in Sabon-Gari area of Jalingo, the state capital.

Heavily-armed gunmen were said to have shot sporadically into the air to scare away residents, before the aide was taken to an unknown destination.

Leha Reform, police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the development on Tuesday.

Reform stated that there are ongoing efforts to rescue the governor’s aide and apprehend the gunmen.

He added that Ahmed Azare, commissioner of police, has ordered investigation into the incident.

It was, however, gathered that the abductors have not contacted the family members.

Baba’s kidnap comes two days after gunmen kidnapped Peter Jediel, chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Taraba.

In December, Bashir Mohammed, a member of the Taraba house of assembly, was abducted and later released.

In 2017, Hosea Ibi, a lawmaker representing Takum 1 constituency in the state assembly, was kidnapped by three unidentified gunmen.

Ibi was later found dead, with his remains dumped beside the road.

As a result of the incessant cases of abductions in the state, Darius Ishaku, the governor, signed into law a bill that prescribes death sentence and life imprisonment for kidnappers.