Gunmen have abducted two visually impaired persons in Plateau State and demanded N50 million ransom for their release.
The Victims were abducted around 8pm on Monday along Riyom Road in Riyom Local Government Area while returning to Jos after a programme they were scheduled to attend in Benue State was postponed.
Ishaya Ayuba Danjatau, a member of the Nigeria Association of the Blind, to which the victims belong, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust on Tuesday.
Danjatau said the victims were part of a delegation of persons with disabilities travelling from Plateau to Benue for a programme convened by the state governor.
He explained that the delegation received information about the postponement while around Akwanga and decided to return to Jos.
However, the vehicle was intercepted by the gunmen along Riyom Road.
Danjatau said the kidnappers contacted the association’s leader around 7am on Tuesday using one of the victims’ phones and demanded N50 million ransom.
The Plateau State Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), Shindol Aaron, also confirmed the abduction.
Aaron said nine persons were in the vehicle when the gunmen struck, but seven managed to escape while the two victims were taken away.
He said the victims, comprising a man and a woman, were among those selected to attend the training in Benue before the event was postponed.
The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, SP Alabo Alfred, had yet to respond to enquiries as of press time.
