Bandits Wednesday evening carried out a two months threat to kidnap a business man identified as Anthony, in Maikunkele area of Minna, the Niger state capital.
It was also learnt that a female trader popularly called Mama Jenifer was also seized from her shop opposite that of Anthony.
The bandits were said to have stormed the area few minutes after 9pm when Anthony was locking up shop for the day..
A resident of Maikunkele who spoke with Blueprint on condition of anonymity said the bandits wrote a letter to Anthony about two months ago threatening to kidnap him if certain conditions were not met.
He said” ” Based on this threat, Anthony has not been sleeping at home since then. He has been sleeping in the Airforce base. However on Wednesday which was also Maikunkele market day, the bandits came for him at the time he was about to close shop.”
The witness said the bandits rode on motorcycles and shot sporadically into the air during the attack, adding that they went away through the Shata village road.
He said the bandits must have been assisted by informants who might have monitored the movement of Anthony.
Blueprint learnt that the Commissioner of Police, Monday Bala Kuryas, Thursday visited the scene of the accident.
He was said to have directed that the Honda Civic car belonging to Anthony left at the scene be moved to the police station. The Maikunkele invasion came barely 18 hours after a similar bandits attack in another village during which dozens of victims were abducted in Shiroro local government of Niger state.
