Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Pierre Antoine
Gunmen have abducted a serving councillor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) along the Doma–Yelwa Road in Nasarawa State, in an incident that has heightened concern over persistent insecurity on rural highways and targeted attacks on public officials.
According to multiple community and online reports, the attack occurred on 19 July 2025 at about 9:00 a.m., when a group of armed men reportedly mounted an improvised roadblock along the Doma–Yelwa highway, a route linking local towns and villages in Nasarawa’s predominantly agrarian hinterland. Eyewitnesses and informal sources indicate that the gunmen stopped the councillor’s vehicle, abducted him at gunpoint, and fled into nearby bushland.
The councillor, identified locally as Ibrahim (surname not widely publicised pending formal police statements), serves under the ruling APC. Reports suggest the abductors may have targeted him deliberately, though the motive has not been confirmed either by law enforcement authorities or the state government. Local sources believe the attack was part of a broader pattern of banditry and kidnapping orchestrated by criminal networks operating along rural routes that lack adequate security patrols.
Several internet posts also list suspects allegedly involved in earlier abductions and road robberies in the Yelwa Ediya area, with names such as Darda’u Shehu, Yunusa Malami Hashimu, Musa Abubakar, Ibrahim Musa and Mohammed Musa appearing in online community threads. These individuals were reportedly associated with previous kidnappings and criminal activity along the same corridor, though no formal police confirmation tying them to the latest incident has emerged.
The kidnapping of the APC councillor echoes past security challenges in Nasarawa State. Authorities previously detained five men in connection with a separate councillor abduction earlier in 2025, capturing them in a hideout in Yelwa Ediya by police from the Doma Division. Those suspects had confessed to kidnapping a different local councillor and stealing items including mobile phones on May 26 of that year.
Security analysts say rural roads like Doma–Yelwa are especially vulnerable to ambushes because of dense vegetation, limited surveillance coverage, and a lack of sustained police or military patrols. Kidnappers and bandits often exploit these gaps to mount quick attacks before escaping into surrounding forests or farmlands — tactics that have plagued multiple Nigerian states across the northern and central belts. The situation has prompted calls by community leaders and civic groups for increased security deployments along key travel corridors and more robust intelligence sharing between villagers, local vigilante groups, and formal security agencies.
Neither the Nasarawa State Police Command nor his party officials have issued an official statement confirming the councillor’s identity, the exact circumstances of his abduction, or details of any ongoing rescue efforts. As of the latest reports, security forces were reported to be reviewing CCTV from nearby checkpoints and interviewing locals along the highway to trace the gunmen’s movements and locate the victim.
Local residents expressed concern over the abduction in social media threads, underscoring a growing sense of insecurity that transcends political affiliation and affects all road users. They appealed to state and federal authorities to strengthen patrols and intelligence operations, particularly on rural highways where such incidents occur on a semi-regular basis.
The unfolding situation remains fluid, and further updates are expected once formal law enforcement agencies or government officials release official information.
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