Eight charcoal workers abducted in Plateau community

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Gunmen have abducted eight charcoal burners in the Nyalun community, Bashar District, of Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.

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PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening as the victims were returning home after processing charcoal on the outskirts of the community.

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During an interview with PUNCH Metro, a youth leader in Wase, Shapi’i Sambo, confirmed the incident on Wednesday.

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He said the kidnappers initially abducted 10 occupants of the vehicle but later released two in Garga, Kanam Local Government Area, to relay a ransom demand.

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“The victims were returning around 7:30 p.m. when the perpetrators suddenly stopped their vehicle, which was loaded with charcoal, and took them away.

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“It is a shocking incident because the victims were struggling to make ends meet when this happened,” the youth leader said.

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He identified the abducted victims as Hassan Sa’idu, Shamsudden Abubakar, Usamatu Yakubu, Dayyabu Usman Waziri, Inkilulu Dauda, Ado Sambo, Sule Dahiru, and Umar Amadu.

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Sambo added that the kidnappers were believed to have taken the victims into the Kukawa bush, a known hideout for criminal groups.

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One of the two persons released, Mummuni Musa, said the victims were tied up before he and another person were freed to deliver the ransom message.

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“The kidnappers told us to go home and tell the owner of the vehicle to sell it and pay the ransom for the eight persons,” he said.

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Communities in Wase and Kanam Local Government Areas have, in recent years, recorded repeated cases of kidnapping and banditry.

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The latest incident comes about two weeks after gunmen killed soldiers and vigilantes in Kanam Local Government Area.

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Efforts to reach the spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Alabo Alfred, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

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