Suspected Kidnappers kill NSCDC official, vigilante, abduct 2 PhD students

Security and independent sources have confirmed that one officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and a member of a vigilante group have died of gunshots from suspected kidnappers in Adamawa State.

The sources said the gun wielding attackers stormed a residential house in Mbamba in Yola South Local Government Area allegedly to kidnap a prominent occupant but ended up abducting two PhD students of the American University of Nigeria (AUN) residing there and shooting two of the security operatives who resisted them.

While the vigilante died at the scene of the attack, the NSCDC official died later, the sources said.

The attack happened on Thursday. Report hit that it was the residence of the Adamawa State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt Hon Iya Abbas that was attacked.

Refuting this version of the story in an interview with newsmen, the Chairman of the state House Committee on Information, Hon Japhet Kefas, said, “I want to make it clear that nothing like that happened (at the speaker’s residence). How can you write such a lie about somebody who represents a community and represents the whole Assembly? We are not happy.”

It had become clear by Sunday, however, that the Speaker’s residence was mistaken by sources for where the attack took place because the two residential buildings are not far apart.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Adamawa State Command, DSP Suleiman Nguroje, reiterated on Sunday that the vigilante died at the scene of the attack while the NSCDC official died afterwards from wounds he sustained from the gunmen. The PPRO could not disclose the owner of the house that was attacked.

On his part, the Adamawa Command Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Mansur Sajor, affirmed that one Solomon Joshua, an Inspector, was the NSCDC officer who died as a result of gunshots from the attackers.

“We understand that some gunmen went to a house to kidnap somebody. Our officer was among security operatives from different outfits drafted there under Operation Farauta. Our officer was shot during an exchange of fire against the kidnappers,” Mansur said.

The AUN could however not confirm that those abducted were its students.

The Vice President in charge of Public Relations of the University, Prof Abba Tahir, said the school was yet to resume and the school management had no information that any students had been abducted.