Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue disclosed that the safe release of the abducted Commissioner, Mathew Abo, who oversees Information, Culture, and Tourism, was achieved without any monetary exchanges or ransom payments.
A statement issued on Thursday and authenticated by Sir Tersoo Kula, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS), was made accessible to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi.
According to the governor, there were no ransom or financial exchanges made in order to secure his safe release.
‘We can confirm that the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Matthew Abo, has regained freedom. He has since reunited with his family in Sankera, Ukum Local Government Area where he was abducted.’
‘His release was as a result of intense pressure on the criminals from the gallant security operatives who were acting on the directives of Gov. Hyacinth Alia, who had earlier given marching orders to them to ensure Mr. Abo’s release,’ he said.
It was also disclosed in the statement that the kidnappers were still holding Mr. Washima Erukaa, the former Chairman of Ukum LGA, and his cousin, who had gone for a secretive negotiation to secure Mr. Erukaa’s release but ended up being abducted as well.
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It also revealed that the kidnappers had abducted the former Chairman, Mr. Washima Erukaa, at a separate location and on a different date.
Governor Alia, who received the commissioner with open arms, went on to caution criminals operating in the state, making it abundantly clear that they would not be tolerated in any manner.
Governor Alia acknowledged the commendable work of the security personnel in securing the commissioner’s safe release and called upon them to work diligently towards securing the safe release of the remaining captives.
The governor instructed the security operatives to be unrelenting in their pursuit of criminals, leaving them with no opportunities to operate within the state.
Africa Today News, New York, has learned that Mr. Abo, who was taken captive on September 24th, spent a distressing 10 days in captivity before being liberated.
Around 8:00 p.m., a menacing group of gunmen arrived on four motorcycles. They demanded that all individuals in the residence, including the commissioner’s wife and children, assume a prone position before taking him away on one of the motorcycles to an unknown destination.