Hospitals, mosques now target of gunmen, kidnappers in Nasarawa

Gunmen have taken their nefarious activities too far in Nasarawa State recently by attacking hospitals and mosques, abducting worshippers, hospital staff and visitors/relatives of patients.

They also demand huge ransom before victims are set free.

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Former Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Alex Badeh, high ranking government officials, traditional rulers and ordinary citizens have all, at one time or the other, been victims of attacks from gunmen in Nasarawa State.

Being so close to the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja), and serving as a link between the many regions of the country, the state government is trying to improve and maintain the security situation in the state.

Much as the state is trying to curb crime and criminality, the criminals daily devise new means of carrying out their nefarious activities.

Recently, seven gunmen invaded a private clinic in Lafia and abducted some people.

The gunmen invaded Kunwarke Clinic and Maternity in Kan-Tsakuuwa, near Federal University Lafia, took away one staff and four relations of some patients, though one of the victims later escaped.

Invading a clinic

The director of the clinic, who is a former deputy speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Elisha Agwadu, said the kidnappers came 30 minutes after he left the hospital on the fateful day.

According to an eyewitness, when the gunmen stormed the hospital, they shot sporadically into the air, asked every one to lie faced down and took away their victims.

After the incident, Hon. Elisha Agwadu was quoted as saying, “the kidnappers contacted me this morning at about 6.30 and told me that this was the 26th time they have come after me without getting me. ‘All we are demanding from you now if you don’t want your staff and others to be killed is N20m’.

“They put a call through to me again at about 12.20pm demanding for a ransom of N20m and I have told them to give me up to 6pm. They have asked me not to contact the police for anything,” Agwadu had said.

However, the Clinic director said the gunmen abducted three people and not five as was reported by some newsmen. He disclosed that he paid ransom to secure the release of the victims.

“I can confirm to you that the kidnappers called me, we negotiated, I paid a ransom to secure the release and freedom of one of my staff and two people who came to visit their loved ones and patients but were abducted at gun point in the clinic.

“I wouldn’t disclose the amount I raised and paid as ransom. But it is unfortunate for private clinics and innocent citizens to be insecure.

“I am appealing to the government, security agencies and the public to rise up to the challenge of insecurity, synergise to bring confidence back to the society,” he said.

Invading a mosque

However, gunmen suspected to be kidnappers invaded a mosque and abducted 17 persons in Gwargwada-Sabo community in Gadabuke development area of Nasarawa State.

The kidnapped victims include a library staff with the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, three ladies and 13 other male adults. A resident of the community, simply identified as Usman, said the incident happened on Tuesday night when Muslims in the community were observing Isha’i prayers.

“The gunmen shot into the air in different directions, some of them surrounded the mosque while others whisked the victims away into the bush,” he said.

He said it was only the Chief Imam of the community mosque and children that were spared, even as he disclosed that families of the kidnapped victims have established contact with the kidnappers.

Daily Trust gathered that the kidnappers had demanded for N1m per victim, but the families pleaded with them to bring down the ransom to an amount they can afford.

“Actually, they first demanded for N50m on the first day, but as we kept on pleading and negotiating with them, they now say we should pay N1m for each victim,” Usman said.

Meanwhile, before their release, the 17 people paid a ransom of N8.5m.

A family member of one of the kidnapped victims, who preferred anonymity, disclosed that the families of all of the 17 kidnapped victims sourced for N500,000 each to raise the N8.5m ransom.

He said the victims were set free by their abductors on Sunday night at a thick forest along Nicha-Sabo community, adding that each family mobilized motorcycles from the community to convey them back home.

“In fact, the families of the kidnapped victims were traumatized especially as they went about sourcing for the ransom. Some had to sell some of their valuables to raise the ransom,” he said.

A special adviser on security

A former governorship candidate of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Mallam Umaru Aliyu Doma, who holds the traditional title of Garkuwan Doma, said “I am calling on Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State to urgently consider the appointment of an experienced and resourceful person as Special Adviser on Security and Special Services.

A politician and public commentator, Honourable Omar Nuruddeen, said, “It is the sole responsibility of the three tiers of government to provide security to the populace.

“The invasion of people and especially rural people by gunmen is an anomaly that the government should address in earnest. I am calling on the people to enhance their security and collaborate with government agencies to expose criminals and to ensure that they are prosecuted accordingly.”

In his response, the Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Sabo Emmanuel, said “Well, I am yet to receive an official complain from any of our members regarding this and from what I can read, non of our member’s hospital was attacked neither was any of our member kidnapped.

“Issues of security has been a problem in this country in recent times. Government needs to secure the country for any meaningful development to occur. Security of lives and properties is key to nation building and if not taken seriously, will lead to irreversible effects in a long run,” he said.

In his response on the issue, Secretary General of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Chief Imam of Middle East Mosque in Lafia, Imam Muhammad Ali, said, “This is a shock and wrong in Islam and to sane people, for worshippers to be attacked, kidnapped and forced to pay huge ransom.

“We call on all the tiers of government to tame insecurity and to guarantee security for all in the country.

“JNI is calling on gunmen to repent and embrace normal life, as armed banditry or cheating by guns does not yield to peace of mind but leads to destruction,” said Imam Muhammad Ali.

Recently, Governor Abdullahi Sule, at flag-off of a sensitization programme against spate of kidnapping and rape in the state, said, “As you are aware, in recent times, kidnapping and other sundry crimes have become quite worrisome and a course for concern not only to the people of the state, but also the international community as a whole.  The unpleasant situation has continued to pose danger to human lives, as well as heighten fears in our people, who no longer move freely in the society.  This is considering the fact that these heinous crimes have negative implications, particularly on the girl child, resulting to psychological trauma, stigmatization of the victim and often times a bleak future.

“It is for this reason that this administration responded to the ugly situation by signing into Law on April 2, 2020 the prohibition of the act of Kidnapping and Rape which has been gazetted in order to stem the tide of kidnapping and rape in the state. The law prohibits kidnapping and rape and further stipulated stiff penalties for violators, including death sentence in extreme cases, especially where the victims of kidnapping lose their lives. In this regard, I must stress that government will ensure full application of this law to deter people from committing or indulging in the heinous acts.”

Spokesperson for the Nasarawa Police Command, ASP Ramhan Nansel, said the Commissioner of Police Bola Longe has called on the people to report any attempt to break the law in what is termed as community policing to safeguard life and property.