The Benue State Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Mr. Matthew Abo, has been abducted by unidentified gunmen in the town of Zaki Biam, situated within the Ukum Local Government Area of the state.
The distressing news was first revealed by Mr. Tahav Agerzua, a former Special Adviser on Media and ICT to the immediate past governor of the state, who made the announcement on his Facebook page late Sunday night.
According to Mr. Agerzua, the commissioner was forcibly taken from his private residence around 8 p.m. on Sunday when armed men invaded his home. The armed assailants, arriving on motorcycles, seized Mr. Abo at gunpoint while also commanding his wife, children, and others present to lie face down.
Mr. Agerzua’s Facebook post included the following statement: “Confirmed reports indicate that several gunmen stormed the residence of Matthew Abo, Benue State Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism in Zaki-Biam, abducting him approximately two hours ago. Eyewitnesses report that the kidnappers arrived on four motorcycles, instructing everyone in the house, including the commissioner’s wife and children, to lie face down and subsequently whisking him away to an undisclosed location on one of the motorcycles. Witnesses stated that the abductors coerced the commissioner, at gunpoint, to sit behind the rider of one of the motorcycles, with another gunman positioned behind him. This disturbing incident occurred after 8 p.m. on Sunday, September 24, 2023, and has already been reported to the police.”
It is worth noting that Commissioner Matthew Abo was sworn in as a member of the Benue State Executive Council on August 29, 2023. He hails from the Ukum Council, an area situated in the Sankera axis of the state, comprising Ukum, Logo, and Katsina-Ala local governments.
Regrettably, this region has been plagued by a series of attacks, violence, and kidnappings carried out by unidentified gunmen, despite the presence of security personnel.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Catherine Anene, have been unsuccessful, leaving the community and the state at large anxiously awaiting updates on this distressing incident.
