By: Gbenga Akingbule
Borno State Police Command announced on Thursday that it has rescued the wife of the Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Magama Local Government Area of Niger State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the APC Chairman’s wife, Habiba Abubakar Bappa was abducted by unknown individuals from Minna, the Niger State capital before she was unconsciously conveyed to Maiduguri by her suspected abductors, the police said.
Addressing Journalists during a brief press conference at the Police Headquarters in Maiduguri, the Commissioner of Police (CP) Abdu Umar said the rescue was made possible through the collaborative effort of the Police, the National Union of Road Transport Workers ( NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN).
According to the CP, Habiba was taken to Metro Police Division in Maiduguri after she regained consciousness.
“On the 15th, about 1400 hrs, one Habiba Bappa, a housewife, was brought to the Police Headquarters from Metro Police Division. She was abducted from Niger State by four unidentified persons.”
The CP added “one of the Kidnappers is a lady and was part of the criminal conspiracy and abduction. Habiba was abducted in her house along Misko road in Minna Nger State on the 11th of June but only found herself here in Maiduguri, Borno State,” Umar said.
While handing Habiba over to her husband, Usman Abubakar Bappa, after preliminary investigation the Police Commissioner stated that the case will be forwarded to the Niger State Police Command.
The CP revealed that it was a happy reunion between Habiba and her husband noting that the Police are currently investigating how the abductors conveyed the victim to Maiduguri.
Mrs Habiba narrated her ordeal to reporters and stated that four unidentified persons had broke into her house in Minna and asked after her husband who was not at home at the time of the incident.
“Four unknown persons including one woman broke into my house in Minna and asked for my husband. I told them he had travelled. They asked me to follow them outside which I did. Later, the lady amongst them followed me back inside my house and collected so much money and my phone before they took me away.
“I couldn’t recall anything from then until I regained my consciousness yesterday and realized I’m in Maiduguri. I remembered that my husband has a friend in Maiduguri who sells carpets and this made me to search for the location but I couldn’t find him as I was told that his carpet company does not have a branch office in Maiduguri.
“It was at this point I located a motor park with a view of heading back to back to Minna. I had also asked someone to assist me with phone to call my husband which I did and the Police also came to my rescue,” Habiba said.
Habiba’s husband who held his wife by her shoulder as they prepare to head to Abuja via an afternoon flight was almost moved to tears as he found it difficult to narrate the sudden abduction of his wife .
“I’m grateful to Allah for the successful rescue of my wife. It was me they wanted,” Bappa said.
