Gladness Gideon
In a disturbing development, suspected Fulani bandits launched a violent nighttime assault on the palace of a traditional ruler in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, abducting the monarch amid a hail of gunfire.
The monarch, His Royal Highness Emmanuel Omanji, the Sangarin Dari, was reportedly taken from his residence late Wednesday night by heavily armed attackers.
Eyewitnesses confirmed that the assailants stormed the compound, firing sporadically before whisking the traditional ruler away to an unknown location.
“The bandits came in the dead of night. There were gunshots everywhere. They took our royal father and disappeared into the dark,” a resident recounted under anonymity due to security concerns.
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The Nasarawa State Police Command has confirmed the incident. Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, stated that the Commissioner of Police, CP Shetima Jauro Mohammed, has ordered an immediate and intensive search and rescue mission.
In his statement, Nansel said: “The Commissioner of Police has mobilised the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit in collaboration with military personnel and local vigilante groups to ensure the safe return of the monarch and the arrest of those responsible.”
He also appealed to the public for support, urging anyone with credible information about the whereabouts of the kidnappers or the victim to contact the nearest police station.
As of the time of filing this report, no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and the motive remains unclear. Security forces continue to comb the surrounding areas in what authorities have described as an all-out effort to rescue the traditional ruler unhurt.