By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Barely two weeks after terrorists, locally dubbed as bandits, kidnapped a popular televangelist, Rev. Mike Ochigbo at Nyibango area in Yola, Adamawa State capital, the wife of a High Court judge, Zainab Abbas has been abducted the same area.
Zainab Abbas was reportedly whisked away around 2am on Wednesday, 7 June, 2023 at Nyibango residence, just a stone throw from where Rev Ochigbo was abducted
The Nyibango neighborhood which is adjacent to the 23 brigade of the Nigerian Army headquarters in Yola, the capital of the state, has gained notoriety in kidnaping for ransom and other violent crimes. There’s currently palpable tension around the Nyibango neighborhood, as some residence are contemplating to leave the area due to frequent attacks by kidnappers.
The State Police Command confirmed the abduction of Zainab Abbas to Sahara Reporters on Wednesday morning.
Spokesperson for the command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, who confirmed the incident said “The victim was kidnapped at her residence behind Royal Ambassadors Hotel in the Nyibango neighbourhood.
“The Adamawa State Commissioner of Police, CP Afolabi Babatola, deployed operatives of the command, drawn from the Crack Squad, Special Rapid Response Team (SRRT) and other tactical squads to carry out a tactical and intelligence driven rescue operation on criminal hideouts and black spots to rescue the kidnapped wife of the High Court Judge, arrest the kidnappers and their collaborators that are bent to fomenting troubles in the state.
“Those deployed to rescue the victim will ensure the arrest of the culprits as a further manifestation of the command’s determination to diligently prosecute offenders. “This deployment will surely assist in coordinating timely response to distress calls and to clamp down on those found committing crimes, as the command has deployed electronic devices to record pictorial evidences of those involved.
“The CP has equally directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations and Deployment to coordinate the designed rescue operation as all divisional police officers are to adopt a stop and Search exercise in their respective areas of responsibility, especially midnights to ensure total domination of the public space, prevent escape of criminals and possible arrest of trouble makers,” Nguroje added.