Female Permanent Secretary, Director, Others Kidnapped

This beautiful woman is in the hands of some bad guys at the moment. The Gunmen operating along the busy Lokoja-Okene road in Kogi State on Friday waylaid and kidnapped three officials of the Osun State government who were on official assignment.

They are the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs. Adebimpe Ogunlumade; the Director, State Audit in the ministry, Mr. Tajudeen Badejoko; and the permanent secretary’s driver, Mr. Oladapo Ajani Arogundade, who were all returning from Abuja.

The fourth occupant of the car said to be the state’s Auditor General reportedly escaped as the gunmen struck at Obajana on the highway.

The Head of the Osun State Civil Service, Mr. Sunday Owoeye, has confirmed the abduction.

Shedding light on the development, Mr. Owoeye said: “Preliminary information available to us indicates that the gunmen accosted them between Obajana and Lokoja the Kogi State capital and forced them to stop before the three officials were violently whisked away.

“The officials were returning from Abuja where they attended the briefing on the State and Local Government Reforms Project; a World Bank and European Union Programme.”

He said security agencies nationwide, particularly in Kogi State, “have been alerted to ensure speedy and safe release of the victims.”

Owoeye also appealed to Nigerians with useful information to contact the security agencies.

The victims were marched into a nearby bush by the kidnappers soon after the abduction. The vehicle in which they were traveling was abandoned by the road side.