A former member of the House of Representatives for Lafia, Obi, Keana Federal Constituency in Nasarawa State, Dr. Joseph Haruna Kigbu, and his wife have been abducted by gunmen. The incident, which occurred on Monday evening, also claimed the life of a police officer attached to the lawmaker’s convoy.
The attack took place around 6:00 p.m. between the Nunku community in Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State and Gwantu community in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State. This stretch is notorious for criminal activities, including kidnappings, which have led to the deaths of numerous victims over the years.
Sources disclosed that the politician and his wife were traveling to Jos, the Plateau State capital, when they were ambushed by heavily armed bandits. Eyewitnesses reported hearing sporadic gunfire during the attack. Hours after the incident, residents found the lifeless body of the police officer who had been providing security for the former lawmaker.
A villager identified as Musa described the scene, recounting the chaos and fear as the gunmen carried out their operation. He appealed to security agencies to intervene promptly to ensure the safe release of the abducted victims and restore peace to the area.
“The level of insecurity here is alarming. We are begging the government to send adequate security personnel to our communities. We can no longer sleep with our two eyes closed,” Musa lamented.
Efforts to obtain a statement from the Nasarawa State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, Ramhan Nansel, did not respond to calls or messages regarding the incident.