There is a palpable tension in Minna, the Niger State capital as a middle-aged businessman, identified as Salau Taiwo Hussein, was whisked away by unknown gunmen at his residence around Brighter Road.

The gunmen, according to sources, stormed the area in the wee hour of Tuesday in their numbers heavily armed and engaged the local vigilantes in the area in a sporadic gunshot to achieve their aim.

One of the sources in the community, who craved anonymity, said “there was kidnapping incidence in our area yesterday night.

“One of our neighbours has been taken away by heavily armed kidnappers between the period of 1:50 am to 3:00 am.

“When our vigilantes were on patrol, they sighted the kidnappers, they flashed them with the torchlight to know who they were.

“Immediately, the kidnappers started shooting at them sporadically to clear their ways and started chasing the vigilantes, so when they chased away the vigilantes, they were able to whisk the man away”.

“So immediately we called the police, we called them more than a hundred times, they kept saying they were coming till the kidnappers left after one hour.

“So, when I called the man’s number, it was the woman that picked it, it was then I knew they had taken the man away as she was lamenting on the phone.

“All efforts to reach the police after being alerted immediately by our vigilantes proved abortive as they tactically refused to turn-up until after the victim was taken away.

“We are highly disappointed by their display of incompetence yesterday,” he added.

Efforts to reach out to the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Wasiu Abiodun, was abortive as he didn’t pick his calls nor respond to messages sent to him.

Daily Trust