The Police Command in Nassarawa State has confirmed the abduction by gunmen of a former Deputy Governor of the state, Prof. Onje Gye-Wado.

The confirmation is contained in a statement on Friday in Lafia by DSP Ramhan Nansel, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state.

Gye-Wado was deputy governor of Nassarawa between 1999 and 2003 in the administration of Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu.

The PPRO in the statement said the Commissioner of Police (CP), Maiyaki Muhammed-Baba, has deployed tactical operatives to rescue the former deputy operation.

He said that the police received reports that the former deputy was kidnapped by gunmen in the early hours of Friday at his residence in Wamba Local Government Area (LGA).

“Information received by the police command indicated that on Friday, April 7 at about 12:30 a.m., gunmen invaded Gwagi Village in Wamba LGA, broke into the residence of the former deputy governor and abducted him to an unknown destination.

“Upon receipt of the information, police operatives attached to Wamba Division swiftly moved to the scene, but the hoodlums had fled with the victim before their arrival,” the police spokesperson added.

Nansel stated that the police commissioner had further mobilised reinforcement comprising police tactical teams, the military, vigilance groups and local hunters to complement the ongoing search to rescue the hostage hale and hearty.

He assured the public that the police would do everything possible to arrest the perpetrators of the act and make them to face the law.

He called on those with useful information that would aid the rescue of the erstwhile deputy governor to call the following telephone numbers : 09115629178, 09067877096, 08112692680 and 08104441179.