Gunmen kill one, abduct woman, her baby, other in Katsina

The Katsina State Police Command on Monday confirmed the killing of one person and kidnapping of a woman with her one-year-old baby in Jibia Local Government Area of the state.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Gambo Isah, who confirmed the incident, told newsmen in Katisna that the gunmen also kidnapped one other person.

He said that the gunmen invaded the town at about 8 p.m on Sunday on motorcycles.

According to him, the gunmen began to shoot sporadically, as a result of which, one Ibrahim Usman, 20, was shot dead.

Isah further revealed that the gunmen went straight to the house of Alhaji Tasiu Waliyi, abducted his wife, her one-year-old baby and other person in the house, Abu Abu, and took them into forest.

The police spokesman said that the Operation Puff Adder, Sharan Daji and Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) teams are presently combing the forest with a view to rescue the victims.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the gunmen, numbering 10 were wearing masks on their faces when they stormed the area with dangerous weapons.

The gunmen went straight to the house of Waliyi, collected mobile phones of people around the area and asked them to lie down.

The gunmen were also said to have carted away with undisclosed amount of money and other valuables in the house.

‘Alleged arrest of Arts and Culture Commissioner has nothing to do with Edo Govt’

Titus Akhigbe, Benin

The Edo State Government has said the alleged arrest of the Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs Commissioner, Hon. Osaze Osemwingie-Ero, has nothing to do with the state government.

In a statement, Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the state government could not confirm the alleged arrest of the commissioner.

He said: “We learnt about the alleged arrest of the Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Commissioner, Hon. Osaze Osemwingie-Ero from unreliable sources on social media and we are unable to confirm either the alleged arrest or what might have led to it.”

“But we can confirm without equivocation that whatever the issues might be, they are totally personal and have nothing whatsoever to do with the Edo State Government or Governor Godwin Obaseki,” he added.