Gunmen have abducted eight charcoal workers in Nyalun community, located in the Bashar District of Wase Local Government Area.
The incident happened on Tuesday evening while the victims were on their way home after working at a charcoal site on the outskirts of the community.
A local youth leader, Shapi’i Sambo, said the attackers initially stopped a vehicle carrying 10 people and took all of them. However, two of the victims were later released in Kanam Local Government Area to pass a ransom message.
According to him, the victims were intercepted around 7:30 pm and forcefully taken away, describing the attack as heartbreaking since the victims were simply trying to earn a living.
The kidnapped individuals were identified as Hassan Sa’idu, Shamsudden Abubakar, Usamatu Yakubu, Dayyabu Usman Waziri, Inkilulu Dauda, Ado Sambo, Sule Dahiru, and Umar Amadu.
Sambo added that the attackers are believed to have taken them into the Kukawa bush, an area known for criminal hideouts.
One of the released victims, Mummuni Musa, said they were tied up before he and another person were freed. He added that the kidnappers instructed them to tell the vehicle owner to sell the vehicle and use the money to pay ransom for the remaining victims.
Kidnapping and bandit attacks have become frequent in Wase and nearby communities in recent years. This latest incident comes just weeks after gunmen reportedly killed soldiers and vigilantes in Kanam.
Efforts to reach the police spokesperson in Plateau were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report
