The release of Safiyanu Isah Andaha, the Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, and three others who were previously abducted, has been confirmed.
The spokesperson of the Nasarawa State Police Command, DSP Ramhan Nansel, confirmed the release to Channels Television during a phone conversation on Wednesday morning.
He stated that Andaha and the three others were freed around 8:45 PM on Tuesday in Andaha village, located in the Akwanga local government area.
The police spokesman clarified that their release resulted from sustained pressure by combined security agencies, refuting claims that a ransom of 10 million naira was paid.
Following their release, Andaha and the three others are currently receiving medical attention at the Federal Medical Centre in Keffi.
The chairman and three others had been abducted by gunmen on Monday night in Ningo village of Akwanga Local Government Area.
Despite the presence of security operatives, gunmen continue to operate in the North-Central and North-Western regions of the country.
Similar to Zamfara, Nasarawa is among the states in northwestern and central Nigeria facing the menace of bandits. These criminals conduct raids on villages, perpetrate killings, abduct residents, and engage in the destruction of homes through looting and arson.
The gangs have established camps within a vast forest spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states.
Nigeria is grappling with a range of security challenges, including a 14-year jihadist insurgency in the northeast that has resulted in the death of at least 40,000 people and displaced over two million others from their homes.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has prioritized addressing insecurity since assuming office on May 29 last year, aiming to bolster foreign investment in Africa’s most populous country.