Gunmen Kidnap Another Traditional Ruler in Plateau

Gunmen Kidnap Another Traditional Ruler in Plateau

Seriki Adinoyi

Gunmen have kidnapped the Da Gwom Rwei of Vwang district of Jos South Local Government Area, of Plateau state, Gyang Balak.

He was kidnapped on Sunday night as he was returning home to Vom, a few metres from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru in Jos. The gunmen reportedly waylaid him and took him with them to an unknown destination.

Spokesman for the state Police Command Mr. Gabriel Ubah confirmed the incident, adding that the Police are on the trail of the assailants.

Lawmaker representing Jos South in the state House of Assembly, Fom Gwattson also confirmed the Monarch’s abduction.

Condemning the abduction, he said, “I have just been informed of the kidnap of one of our traditional rulers, Da Gwom Rwei of Vwang District, Jos South LGA, Da Gyang Balak. I was told, he was returning to his palace when the gunmen stopped his vehicle and forcefully took him away to an unknown place”.

Gwaattson said the abduction was the second in the community in recent days. “We have a problem at hand in Plateau state regarding kidnapping and abduction of the citizens. The area where they kidnapped the traditional ruler in Vwang District is the same place where another resident was kidnapped about two weeks ago and a ransom of N1m was paid to the kidnappers before they released the young man.

“As lawmakers elected by the people to represent them at the 9th Plateau Assembly, we have done what we are supposed to do to address the problem by passing the anti-kidnapping bill into law which was subsequently signed by Governor Simon Lalong. But who has been tried in plateau state using that law?

“It’s just there lying in waste while the people continue to cry over their plight in the hands of abductors. I believe that the government which has the duty to arrest and prosecute those responsible for kidnapping but fails to do it knows what it is doing.

“In Katsina state, over 200 people were killed and nobody said anything. The truth is that the people of Plateau state and indeed Nigerians have entered ‘one chance’ government and unless this government is booted out of power, the people may continue to suffer the same fate.”

The Military Information Officer of Operation Safe Haven, Major Ishaku Takwa, who also confirmed the kidnap said, “Troops of Operation Safe Haven in conjunction with other security agencies are on trail of the kidnappers. God willing, the security agencies will soon close-up on the criminals”.

The recent abduction followed a similar incident in which the traditional ruler of Gindri, Charles Dakat was also taken on the 26th of December, 2021. He was freed five days after ransom was allegedly paid to his abductors.

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