According to the information gathered, the Benue State Commissioner of Information and Tourism, Mathew Abo, has been abducted.
Abo was abducted from his residence in the Zaki-Biam community in the Ukum Local Government Area of the state on Sunday night.
He had recently been sworn in as a member of the Benue State Executive Council on August 29th, 2023.
His hometown, Ukum local government area, has been plagued by criminal activities.
According to witnesses, the commissioner was abducted by gunmen who arrived on four motorcycles at his house in Zaki-Biam, a rural town known for having the country’s largest yam market.
The assailants ordered everyone, including his wife and children, to lie face down before taking him away on one of the motorcycles to an unknown location.
The abductors forced the commissioner, at gunpoint, to sit behind one of the motorcycle riders while another gunman accompanied him.
The incident has been reported to the police, although the Police Command in Benue has not yet responded to requests for confirmation.
The Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, Kula Tersoo, confirmed the kidnapping, stating that it occurred in the commissioner’s country home in Ukum LGA around 8 p.m. on Sunday, September 24, 2023.
