The military has been charged by the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau State with kidnapping Mr. Dung Tari, the party’s chairman in the Jos South Local Government Area.
Speaking at a press conference in Jos on Thursday, PDP State Chairman Chris Hassan claimed that Tari was kidnapped by unidentified military personnel at around 1pm after Tari had met with members of his Executive Committee at the party’s secretariat in the Bukuru neighborhood of Jos South LGA.
Hassan described how the LGA chairman was kidnapped, saying, “After the meeting at the LGA party office Bukuru, he (Tari) picked his niece on his way to attend a family matter.
“After that, he made a stop at a Total Filling Station in Bukuru and parked his car there so he could answer calls. He was suddenly surrounded by two Toyota Hilux pick-up trucks with military-themed paint jobs and license plates, along with men wearing Nigerian military garb. One of the soldiers also forcibly removed his niece from his personal car before driving off to an unidentified location. “
Hassan stated that the incident occurred on September 23, 2023, and that up until the press conference, neither his captors nor his family had given any updates on his whereabouts or the circumstances surrounding his abduction. “
The LGA chairman was kidnapped, according to the state PDP chair, who said that steps had been taken to report the incident to the state’s various security agencies and launch an investigation.
The commando-style abduction of Tari, according to him, was creating unrest in the state and endangering the tenuous peace that was already in place.
Hassan appealed to the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff, and the Director General of the DSS to use their good offices and intervene in the situation to ensure the immediate release of the LGA chairman. Hassan promised to provide sureties who will produce the LGA chairman upon demand.
Capt. Oya James, the spokesman for the military taskforce in charge of preserving peace in Plateau, responded by clearing members of the Nigerian military of any involvement in Tari’s kidnapping.
James said, “I have received several calls regarding the accusations by the PDP and I have also made calls and found out that nothing like that happened. I challenge the PDP to come forward with evidence to support their claims.
“They claimed that those who carried out the kidnapping used military vehicles, but if you are aware of the time we are in, you may be aware of suspects who have been seen committing crimes while wearing camouflage, using vehicles, and other military gear. However, if they asserted that they had an eyewitness, let that person come forward with photographs or other forms of proof involving our troops so that we can track down the vehicle since all of our military vehicles are identified by numbers. “
