THE Adamawa State Police Command on Monday said a manhunt had been launched to apprehend the kidnappers of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Emmanuel Agiso, in the Girei Council Area of the state.

It was gathered that local hunters and vigilantes had been enlisted for the manhunt.

A family source told our correspondent that the PDP chieftain was kidnapped around 1am in his Girei residence after the abductors gained entry into his bedroom. They later called to demand a N40m ransom.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Othman Abubakar, who confirmed the kidnap, told our correspondent at the state police headquarters in Yola that efforts were being made to rescue Agiso.

He said, “There is confirmation that he was kidnapped. At the meeting of the command this morning (Monday), I heard the Divisional Police Officer (in Girei) reporting to the Commissioner of Police that the man was kidnapped.

“He also said vigilantes and hunters in the area had been engaged to go after the kidnappers. It is obvious that kidnappers keep their victims in the forest. The police have also deployed men to go after the kidnappers.”

Agiso brother, Tyros, told our correspondent on the telephone that the victim was taken away in the middle of the night by unknown men.

He said, “Kidnappers came into the house and kidnapped him. It happened in the night. They first met a lady and said they were looking for him. The lady told them that my brother was not at home. But they did not believe the woman’s response to their inquiry.

“They forcefully entered the house and took him away. They later called his first child and promised to call back later. When they did again, they made a ransom request of N40m. We have not heard anything from them since the demand was made.”

Chairman of the PDP in the state, Tahir Shehu, said the victim was a well-known member of the party in the state, expressing shock and sadness at his kidnap. He also said the party would be making a statement on the development later. – Punch

– Feb. 19, 2019 @ 9:15 GMT |