A former governorship aspirant in Plateau State during the 2019 elections, Kemi  Nshe, has been kidnapped by gunmen.

Nshe, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party who served as chairman of Shendam Local Government Area of the state at different times, was kidnapped alongside Monday Hassan, Chairman of Academic Staff Union of Universities at the Plateau State University, Bokkos.

It was further learnt that the two persons, said to be friends, were abducted at the residence of the former council boss in Shendam in the early hours of Saturday.

Governor Simon Lalong hails from Shendam LGA in the southern zone.

Nshe and Hassan’s abduction came barely 24 hours after kidnappers released a traditional ruler, Charles Dakat, in the neighbouring central zone of the state.

Sources confirmed the latest abduction to our correspondent in Jos on Sunday.

An associate of Nshe, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident was causing tension in the area.

He said, “Please join us in praying for the release of Nshe, who was kidnapped from his Shendam residence in the early hours of Saturday, January 1, 2022. It was in the night that the gunmen came to his house and whisked him away. They did not go with his phone.

“The incident is rather unfortunate .We don’t know where they took him to. But yesterday evening (Saturday), I learnt that the kidnappers called the family members on the phone of the son, demanding N100m ransom, which they later reduced to N50m.

“Where will they get that kind of money when people are suffering everywhere? It baffles me that the Federal Government through the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy will make Nigerians go through hard experiences by subjecting them to SIM card registration and yet, this kind of thing will be happening without the perpetrators being apprehended. What is the relevance of that registration? Where are we going in this country with this kind of situation?”

Another source from the ASUU secretariat, who also confirmed the kidnap of the ASUU boss, described the security situation in the country as “unacceptable.”

A spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Ubah Ogaba, said the command had deployed security operatives to rescue the victims.

Ogaba said, “The command is aware of the abduction in Shendam. Tactical teams have since been deployed to rescue the victims and arrest the perpetrators.”

Punch