The abductors of the Niger State Commissioner for Information, Mallam Idris Sani Mohammed, have established contact with his family, demanding N500 million in ransom for his release.

The abductors are said to have crossed the shore of the state with Commissioner Mohammed, who they abducted at about 11:00 pm on Sunday, to an unknown destination. Although there is no official update from the state government on the incident apart from the confirmation by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, on the abduction, the government has gone into an extended security meeting at Government House.

The meeting is being presided over by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Ketso, with all the security heads in the state in attendance as anxious journalists kept vigil for an official update from the security meeting. Government House has been in a sober mood since news of the commissioner’s abduction was made public in Minna, the state capital, while there is an atmosphere of disquiet at the Ministry of Information as staff were seen in groups discussing the incident.

Sympathisers, in the meantime, continued to troop to the residence of the abducted commissioner both in Minna and Baban Tunga in Tafa, where the incident occurred.

Commissioner Mohammed was taken at his residence at about 11:00 pm on Sunday by heavily armed men, with his second wife witnessing the incident.