By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
Abductors of the younger sister of ex People’s Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Asma’u Alhaji Adamu (28) and one other female relative, Halima Abdullahi (65) are demanding the sum of N30 million as ransom for the release of their captives.
A family source, Ibrahim Usman Musa told the press on Monday in Boto, village, home of the ex-PDP national chairman, Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu, that the kidnappers initially on Wednesday, a day after the incident, demanded the sum of N600 million as ransom.
Musa explained however, that by Sunday, following the continuous communication between the hoodlums and members of the Adamu family, the kidnappers who were five in number when they staged the attack on Tuesday, stepped down the bargain to N30 million.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Umar Mamman Sanda who on Monday received Governor Bala Mohammed in Boto during a condolence/sympathy visit to the family of the victims, disclosed that the police have now traced the den of the kidnappers and are taking serious security measures to get back the captives.
Commissioner of Police Sanda said, “Governor Bala Mohammed is here to condole families of the victims, so I would say anything about the condolence, but what I would say is on security issue, these bandits, let me say publicly that we have traced their hideout, but we are taking security measures and by God’s grace, we would get to them”.
CP Umar Sanda therefore, urged people in the local communities to always open up their eyes within their domains and report any suspicious movement of any person to the appropriate security agencies as a good alternative to curb activities of bandits in the rural areas of the state.
Condoling and sympathizing with the people of Boto in Lere District of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state over the incident, Governor Bala Mohammed commiserated with the families of ex-governor of Bauchi, Alhaji Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu, describing the Boto happening as an infringement of privilege of the entire people of the state.
Senator Bala Mohammed also described the bandits as miscreants, hooligans and charlatans who came to the state to insult its people, assuring that “We would not sleep until we get them, protect our leaders, because they have been exposed to the vagaries of expectation, and we have to protect everybody.
The Governor explained that security agencies are working very hard together with the government, taking stringent measures some of which outside the rule of engagement such as the use of vigilante and community relations, and urged for information about the bandits from the district and village heads, LG leaders and people generally so as to put heads together to purge out banditry activities in the state.
He said, “We know their routes, they are coming from Plateau through Kurqui, Kardam and Lere and so forth. Since we know their routes and with the technology with us, we would be able to get them, but please be rest assure that the government commiserate with you and families of the victims, and we are not going to rest on our oath until we were able to get these hoodlums”.
The banditry was carried out closely with that of nearby Tudun Wadan Malema village where two persons, Paul Izaya and Amos Kasuwa were instantly killed during an attack, while Thomas Patrick and Yakubu Hakuri who sustained injuries after being shot by the gunmen, were hospitalized and are receiving treatment.
Condoling families of Paul Izaya and Thomas Kasuwa while sympathizing with families of the injured, Governor Bala Mohammed said that the State Executive in collaboration with the Legislative arm of government would soon work out on a bill that could facilitate the establishment of a security outfits across local communities that could support other conventional security agencies in the fight against crimes and criminality in parts of the state.
Governor Bala described as new the characteristics of these gruesome murder to the government because as he puts it, “This is a village and these are not very well to do people, and they are humbly living in this village where God kept them, and just they were attempted to be killed, there must be some collusion somewhere”.
“There must be some collusion somewhere, there must be some prior information, I’m not a security man but I’m a leader. The pattern of the crime is completely different from banditry, it has to do with elimination, so I’m challenging the commissioner of police and the divisional police officer, the DSS and other security apparatus to look into this very serious issue”.
According to him, he went to the village because of the new pattern he was able to came across with, assuring that the state government would not condone the act, querying “If somebody cannot rest in a village like Tudun Wadan Malema with serenity, I don’t know where somebody can rest and have peace”.
Senator Bala Mohammed noted that there appears to be a very serious amalgam between nature and man in Malema village, saying, “If this is diluted with deaths and bloodshed, then we are finish, we may not even go to farm, so I’m challenging the commissioner of police, he and other security agencies would explain on how to unravel upon what happen because there is a lot of missing links”.
