27th April, 2019
Malam Dahiru Dalhatu, the Chief Imam of Lafia Central Mosque, has called on Nasarawa State Government to tackle the rising spate of kidnapping in the state.
The cleric made the call on Saturday in Lafia during the thanksgiving prayer of a victim of kidnapping who recently regained freedom after paying an undisclosed amount as ransom.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the victim, Malama Yahanasu Suleiman, the wife of Mr Suleiman Abubakar, the state Chairman of Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ), who was kidnapped on March 27 regained freedom on March 28.
Represented by Malam Kabiru Darhiru, the priest said that the increasing rate of kidnapping and other criminality in the state needed urgent measures to avoid escalation.
“The number one duty of government is to protect lives and property, therefore the government must rise up to its responsibility in order to give the people a sense of security.
“Apart from increasing rate of kidnapping, attacks on communities, arm robbery and other criminality is on the increase hence the need for urgent measures to be taken,” the Imam added.
Speaking on behalf of the family, the husband of the kidnapped victim, expressed gratitude to God for saving his wife and all those who supported them in kind and in cash during the traumatic moment.
He therefore prayed God to continue to protect his family against re-occurrence of the ugly incident.