A former minister of foreign affairs, Ambassador Bagudu Hirse, was kidnapped by three gunmen yesterday, witnesses told Daily Trust.
The incident happened in front of the residence of President Muhammadu Buhari’s powerful nephew Alhaji Mamman Daura on Dan Amar Road, by Inuwa Wada Road, Unguwar Rimi GRA, in Kaduna.
Hirse had gone to pay condolence visit to the family of the late Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki on Kabiru Road, in the same neighbourhood and decided to make a stopover at the house of Daura who was receiving guests at home. Daura is married to late Dasuki’s daughter.
A witness told our correspondent that Hirse alighted from his car along with a friend simply identified as Talba and was exchanging pleasantries with some guests in front of the house, when an ash coloured Toyota Corolla car drove into the street at top speed and stopped in front of Hirse and his friends.
He said the three armed young men, who wore masks, jumped down from the car and accosted the former minister almost immediately.
“From what I could hear, they were asking him to get into their car but he was trying to seek further explanations from them. But at that time, people started approaching the scene, so one of them raised the gun he was holding and made to shoot but it did not fire, he tried it the second time and it failed, but the third time, shots rang and people ran for dear lives.
“That was when they forced him into the car, removed his babbariga and cap and threw them on the ground. The other masked man then kicked his other friend on the shin and that was how they drove away,” he stated.
One of the security men around the house, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was not clear if the gunmen had mistaken Hirse for Daura because, according to him, when they shot, people ran away from the scene and could not make out what they were telling the former minister.
Our correspondent however confirmed that Daura was at home and was about leaving for Abuja when the gunmen arrived.
“But he was inside with other dignitaries including the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, when they came,” the source stated.
The source said after the gunmen drove away, Daura was informed about the incident and more security agents were deployed to the house before he departed for Abuja.
The friend to Hirse, who was hit on the shin by the gunmen, has been taken to a hospital for treatment while his driver drove away.
The police public relations officer in Kaduna State, ASP Usman Aliyu confirmed the incident.
“I can confirm to you that the incident happened, but we normally don’t disclose our plan. All I can tell you now is that it happened and the police are putting the necessary deployment to rescue the victim as soon as possible,” he said.
There is no news – Wife
When Daily Trust visited Ambassador Hirse’s residence in Jos, the Plateau State capital, only a handful, including his aged mother. Johnson Mathew, one of the house helps told this newspaper that they were hearing the news for the first time, and refused to comment further.
A phone contact with his wife, Mrs. Stella, did not yield much. She confirmed the news of the kidnap of her husband but told Daily Trust that: “There is no news.” She pleaded there should be no more media inquiries from her on the matter. It therefore remained unclear whether the abductors had contacted the family.
When contacted for comments, the adviser to Governor Simon Lalong on Media and Publicity, Mr. Daniel Manjang said he had no news of the kidnap of the elder statesman from the state, to make informed reaction. He pleaded for time to make inquiries.
Ambassador Hirse is the second personality from Plateau State to be kidnapped in Kaduna within a week, the first being the administrative secretary of the Jama’atu Nasirl Islam (JNI) in Plateau State, Abdulaziz Yusuf, who has since secured his freedom.
Security beefed up
As a result of yesterday’s incident, security has been beefed up within Kaduna, especially the exit points. Between Abuja junction and Jere in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, a distance of 100 kilometres, police mounted eight checkpoints, searching vehicles.
Daily Trust reports in April this year that Alhaji Tanimu Yakubu, the economic adviser to late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua was attacked by suspected kidnappers who pounced on him as he was leaving a friend’s house on Galadima Street, in Kaduna.
Before then a Nigerian army colonel and a clergyman were also abducted in separate incidents and later found dead.
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