Kidnappers of Taraba chairman of CSOs coalition demand N25m ransom

Kidnappers of the Taraba State chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations of Nigeria, Dr Joseph Gimba, are said to have demanded N25 million ransom for his release.

Gimba, Track news learnt, was last Thursday abducted by unknown gunmen from his residence in the Magami area of Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State.

Some of the coalition members who spoke with Track news correspondent on Monday said the abductors who earlier demanded N100 million ransom have “now reduced their demands to N25 million.”

The members who would not want their names to be made public, said they have been working round the clock in collaboration with the security outfit to ensure the release of Gimba unhurt.

They also expressed sadness at the alleged inability of the state government to wade in.

When contacted, the Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Usman, said, the Commissioner of Police has directed his men in the area command to go after the kidnappers.

According to him, a strong meeting was “today conveyed by the commissioner where he stressed the need to bring to an end kidnapping activities in Jalingo metropolis and the state at large.”

The command, he further stated, is leaving no stone unturned in order to rescue the hostage.

Residents of Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, no longer go to bed with their two eyes closed following the increase in the activities of kidnappers.

Track news recalls that the remains of the two wives and five children of the monarch of Mutum-Biyu, in Gassol Local Government Area, abducted in Jalingo, were recently found in the forest