By Charles Maduka
A petrol dealer in Kwara State, Alhaji Abbas, and his manager, Abubakar Issa, were kidnapped on Friday by unknown gunmen in Gbugbu, Edu Local Government Area.
The two men were taken after work from the Daniyan Shaba Global Investment filling station, located inside the Gbugbu International Market. The kidnappers also stole an unknown amount of money and set fire to a Toyota Sienna parked at the station.
Reports say the attackers arrived on motorcycles and carried out the attack violently. They later demanded N200 million as ransom.
A source said Alhaji Abbas had survived a previous attack, but this time he and his manager were captured. “This shows how serious the situation has become,” the source added.
Some residents said the kidnappers escaped into a nearby forest, which they believe is being used as a hideout. The community is now calling on the government and security agencies to take urgent action to stop the rising insecurity in the area.
A female eyewitness said the fear of insecurity could stop farmers from going to their farms this rainy season. “This area is the food basket of the state. If farmers don’t go to the farms, we will all suffer,” she said.
As of Sunday morning, the victims’ location remained unknown. Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, were not successful, as calls and messages to her phone went unanswered.
Punch
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