Anthony Enahoro, a doctor, was kidnapped by terrorists operating in the vicinity of Kainji National Park in the Wawa district of Borgu Local Government Area in Niger State.
Residents claim that at around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, gunmen seized the outskirts of Wawa garrison town and began firing intermittently.
Locals, including the youth leader, believe that the doctor may have been singled out to treat sick or injured combatants.
“He is a doctor and we are suspecting that he was kidnapped to treat the terrorists, because he’s one of the best doctors we have in Borgu land currently,” the youth leader said.
This claim was obviously cemented by the fact that witnesses reported that only the doctor was captured, despite the fact that other persons were present at the incident.
Wawa area of Niger community is a town with two military units, including a prison center housing Boko Haram and other suspected terrorists. Terrorists attempted to breach the fortified town in October 2022 but were met with resistance from the military. Recently, a leaked memo from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) revealed that Boko Haram terrorists are planning to attack the detention facility to free their comrades.
Regarding this attack, the Niger State Police Command has not yet released an official comment. Ijn addition, as of the time of publication, Wasiu Abiodun, the spokesperson of the state police command, had not responded to inquiries.
ENigeria Newspaper cannot confirm that if Ansaru, which has been strengthened by the Sahelian ally Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin’s (JNIM) entrance into the Kainji region, was responsible for Mr. Enahoro’s kidnapping. But Sadiku’s Boko Haram group is said to have more sway in the region where the kidnapping took place. The gang had planted explosives along important highways in the axis and carried out several devastating strikes.
Insecurity in Niger state
Three days ago, Most Reverend Bulus Dauwa Yohanna, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State Chapter, voiced alarm over the deteriorating security situation in the nation and cautioned that Nigerians are rapidly becoming insecure.
The Catholic, who also served as the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, claimed that the state had “nosedived into a condition of terror” as a result of ongoing security issues, economic difficulties, and what he called politicians’ broken promises.
Citing stories of foreign nationalities issuing travel warnings cautioning their citizens against visiting certain states and even the country’s capital, Abuja, out of fear of potential attacks, he continued to bemoan the rising level of insecurity.
The government of Niger state seems unattentive to the insecurity plights of the residents of the state. It, insteads, has invested heavily in buying multi-billion naira cars for officials.
In light of the state’s pervasive poverty, poor socioeconomic indices and growing insecurity, the Niger state administration has come under fire for purchasing more than 100 cars for judges and members of boards and commissions.
Bologi Ibrahim, the governor’s chief press secretary, stated that the cars were given to facilitate official tasks and enhance service delivery.
