In Gaambe-Tiev, Logo Local Government area of Benue, anxiety is on the rise after a Peugeot commercial wagon vanished with seven passengers.
The unsettling incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon at Mbavuur along Ugba-Anyiin road, Logo Local Government Area.
Chief Job Tiza, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Organising Secretary, was among the passengers in the missing vehicle.
Eyewitness Charles Gbor, a former chairman of Logo Local Government Council, reported that the vehicle, loaded from Ugba to Anyiin town, was ambushed by hoodlums at Mbavuur.
Conflicting accounts from the community raise questions about the incident. While one source claims the vehicle was taken with all passengers, including Chief Job Tiza, another suggests that only Job Tiza and one other passenger named Ormough were abducted.
Ormough reportedly regained freedom after three days but remained tight-lipped about the others’ whereabouts, possibly due to threats from the abductors.
The community is baffled by how a vehicle with seven passengers could vanish without a trace in a farming area.
Concerned residents express shock over the mysterious disappearance, questioning the lack of information from the police, community leaders, and the vehicle owner.
Gunmen attack Benue community, kidnap council chair, police orderly, 2 others
In a similar incident, the chairman of Ukum Local Government Area, Rev. Gideon Haanongu, was abducted by gunmen along with his Personal Assistant, driver, and orderly in Ukum. The incident occurred on Zakibiam – Katsina Ala road at Tongov community.
The chairman was en route to the burial of Chief Fezanga Wombo, a second-class monarch.
As the community awaits updates, the Secretary of Ukum Local Government Council assures the public that measures are in place to secure the chairman’s release.
The Benue State Police command is yet to provide information on both incidents at the time of this report.