Abducted Nasarawa commissioner regains freedom

Mr. Yakubu Lawal-Addah, Nasarawa State Commissioner of Information, who was abducted on Monday, has regained freedom.

Lawal-Addah was whisked away from his residence in Nasarawa Eggon, the headquarters of Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area.

The kidnappers had demanded a N100 million ransom but later slashed it.

It is unclear the amount that was paid in exchange for the commissioner’s release but Daily Trust gathered the kidnappers released Lawal-Addah after collecting an undisclosed ransom.

Earlier in the week, Governor Abdullahi Sule expressed shock over the manner in which his commissioner was abducted.

He also decried the spate of kidnappings across the state, expressing his administration’s commitment to tackle insecurity.

Sule who chaired the quarterly meeting of the Nasarawa Enabling Business Environment Council, at the Government House, on Tuesday, warned that his administration would take stringent actions against perpetrators of crime in the state.

The governor had said, “I urge you, first and foremost, to be cautious and secondly, seek for protection also from your own end.

“I have no idea that some of our commissioners don’t have police attached to them until today. While other commissioners are having three or four policemen because of the situation they find themselves in, other commissioners don’t even want it. This is a very wrong approach. We should seek police protection. The CP is more than happy to support you.

“In a week, we now have three incidents, for that reason, we can’t fold our arms. We have to be able to take a stronger position. I urge you as members of the executive, especially top government functionaries, to do the best you can, to be more cautious.”