By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Jalingo
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted two sons of a late Jalingo-based journalist at Joita, a border community between Taraba and Benue states.
The victims, identified as Ameh and John Adaji, were returning to Jalingo from Imane in Olamaboro Local Government Area, where they had attended the burial of their father, Ben Adaji, who died in Jalingo three weeks ago.
The abduction occurred at about 4 p.m. on Tuesday when the commercial vehicle conveying the brothers and 12 other passengers was stopped at a roadblock allegedly mounted by three men posing as security operatives.
It was gathered that the driver, unaware the checkpoint was fake, stopped the vehicle. The armed men reportedly ordered all passengers to surrender their mobile phones before selecting the two brothers and whisking them away to an unknown destination.
Sources said the abductors later contacted a friend of the late journalist using one of the victims’ phones, identified themselves as kidnappers and demanded a ransom for the brothers’ release.
The source told BANNERNEWS that despite informing the abductors he had no money, they insisted that a ransom must be paid and subsequently forwarded a bank account number for payment.
The Joita axis, linking Wukari in Taraba State and Katsina-Ala in Benue State, has witnessed repeated kidnappings in recent years, forcing many commercial drivers to travel with security escorts, while others now avoid the route by taking alternative roads through Chinkai and Nasarawa State.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation were unsuccessful, as the spokesperson of the Taraba State Police Command, ASP Victor Mshelizah, could not be reached for comment. His telephone line was switched off at the time of filing this report.
