Gunmen abduct Nigerian gov’s senior aide

Residents of the Tudun Amba area of Lafia, Nasarawa State, were thrown into panic on Saturday night when armed men stormed the neighbourhood, firing gunshots before abducting a prominent government official.

The victim was identified as Muhammed Egye Osolafia, widely known as Deedat, who serves as Senior Special Assistant on Humanitarian Services to Governor Abdullahi Sule. He was reportedly taken away moments after arriving at his home.

Witnesses said the attackers fired into the air to disperse people in the area before whisking Osolafia away to an unknown destination.

Reacting to the development, the governor’s Senior Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, described the incident as “sad and unfortunate,” noting that he received word of the abduction from a colleague.

This latest attack comes just weeks after another top government official, Barrister Yusuf Musa, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Culture, was kidnapped from his residence in Ungwan Nungu, also within Lafia.

At press time, the state police command had yet to release an official statement on the matter.