THE Kogi State Police command has confirmed that the earlier kidnapped caretaker chairman (CTC) of the Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, Zacheous Dare-Michael has escaped from his abductors.
Confirming his escape, the spokesperson of Kogi Police command, William Ovye-Aya, said the chairman escaped from kidnappers in the early hours of Saturday, August 3.
“We give God the glory that he has returned to his family hale and hearty.
“All the same, our officers and men are already trailing the kidnappers to arrest them and rescue other people in their custody,” he said.
Dare Michael was reportedly kidnapped by some unknown gunmen on Friday, August 3. He was said to have been whisked away along with some of his aides.
According to Daily Trust, the incident occurred on the Lokoja expressway as Michael and his team were returning from a meeting in the state capital.
The kidnappers reportedly fired several shots at the chairman’s convoy.
The council boss and his security detail were reportedly overcome by the gunmen in the ensuing battle, which resulted in their abduction.
According to Daily Trust, the Kogi State Police Command’s PPRO, Williams Ovye-Aya, confirmed the incident.
Ovye-Aya was quoted as saying that a military team was tracking the kidnappers’ hideout with the help of neighbourhood vigilantes to save the victims’ lives.
In May 2024, The ICIR reported that several students were abducted at the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC) in Osara, Okene, Kogi State.
Eyewitness accounts had indicated that the bandits swooped on the university on the fateful day around 9 pm while the students were doing night prep for their examinations.
A source had told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the bandits entered through the forest and proceeded to enter three lecture halls, where they fired shots into the air to intimidate the students.
The Police later confirmed the release of 14 of the abducted students from their captors.
Kogi state has been the hotbed of insecurity in Nigeria. The North Central state has witnessed many bandit attacks in recent years.
A reporter with the ICIR
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