BREAKING: Bandits kidnap Niger Electoral Commissioner, Ex-SUBEB chairman, others

Armed men suspected to be bandits fleeing from Kwara State have kidnapped several passengers along the Ibbi–Bussa axis of the Mokwa–New Bussa road in Niger State.

Among those taken were Ahmed Mohammed, Commissioner 7 of the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), and Alhaji Bawa Niworo, a former chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB).

Witnesses said the attackers ambushed multiple vehicles and seized passengers near Ibbi in Mashegu Local Government Area late Monday night.

Confirming the incident, the Niger State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, explained that the armed men had earlier attacked a police checkpoint on the Ibbi–Bussa road.

He noted that officers repelled the attack, though their patrol vehicle was riddled with bullets and one policeman sustained gunshot injuries.

“Unfortunately, the fleeing armed men later blocked the road ahead of the checkpoint and abducted some passengers from about three vehicles,” he said.

Abiodun added that more tactical teams, alongside other security agencies and vigilante groups, have been deployed to track down the kidnappers, rescue the victims, and apprehend the culprits.

In a separate development, the police said ongoing clearance operations against bandits in Kokolo forest, Magama Local Government, led to the killing of three suspected kidnappers during a gun duel.

Others reportedly escaped with gunshot wounds, while one abducted victim was rescued.