Nigerian lawmaker abducted in northwestern state

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - Unknown gunmen kidnapped a member of Nigerian parliament in northwestern Kaduna state, his aide said on Wednesday.

“Honorable Garba Durbunde was kidnapped on Tuesday,” Tunde Adela, his legislative aide, told journalists in the capital Abuja.

Durbunde, a member of House of Representatives from the ruling All Progressives Party, represents Takai/Sumaila federal constituency of northwestern Kano state.

Adela said Durbunde was abducted at Jere area as he was returning to Abuja after a visit to his constituency.

A family source, who asked not to be named due to security concerns, told Anadolu Agency that the abductors have called to confirm they “have him and would soon make a demand”.

“We were asked not to contact the police or we would be risking his life,” the source added.

Durbunde’s abduction is one of the high-profile abductions recently recorded in Nigeria.

Abductees often get released after ransoms are paid, except in few instances where such kidnapping resulted in death of the victims.

Last week, four students and a school principal were abducted in a Lagos government school. They are yet to be released.

Kidnapping carries death penalties across many Nigerian states because of its rampancy.