Innocent Ogbu, a senior officer with the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), has been abducted by gunmen along the Lokoja-Enugu road.
Ogbu, a deputy superintendent of corrections, was travelling to Enugu for a development course at the correctional training school when the incident occurred on Saturday.
According to Rabiu Shuaibu, the spokesperson for the NCoS Niger command, Ogbu was among 15 passengers kidnapped from an 18-seater commercial bus. Ogbu also serves as the unit commander of the armed squad wing at the Minna Old Medium Security Custodial Centre in Niger State.
“The incident has been reported to relevant security agencies, including the police and DSS,” Shuaibu said in a statement.
The abductors have contacted Ogbu’s family, demanding a ransom of N10 million for his release.
This is not the first time a prison official has been targeted in Niger State. In April, gunmen abducted Abdulrahman Gelele, the controller of corrections for Niger State, along the Ilorin-Minna road.