Dariye’s octogenarian father kidnapped

COMMUNITY leader in Horop Village, Bokkos local council of Plateau State, Pa Dafaan Dariye, said to be over 80 years old, was on Saturday night abducted by armed men on motorbikes. 

   Dafaan is the father of the former governor of the state serving senator, Joshua Dariye. According to Senator Dariye’s friend, simply identified as Mr. Polycarp, confirmed the kidnap, saying that the abductors came on bikes and that there has bee no communication with the abductors.

   Contacted yesterday, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Deputy Superintendent Abuh Emmanuel, said that Pa Dariye was kidnapped “from his compound at by 8.00p.m on Saturday by nine armed men who invaded his compound.”

   Quoting the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Mushere, Emmanuel said: “The armed men entered his compound and started shooting sporadically, after which they kidnapped him to an unknown destination. Our men there quickly mobilized themselves and are now on the trail of the kidnappers with a view to tracking them, but no arrest has been made yet.

   “There is evidence as our men picked up empty shells of bullets used by the gunmen. However, no one was injured. Efforts have been intensified to rescue the man unhurt, but at the moment we do not know his whereabouts.”

   Also, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the abductors dressed him up in a woman’s clothes before they sped off on a motorcycle. And quoting unconfirmed sources, it said the kidnappers left a note for monetary demand that should be met in dollars.

   It was equally claimed that they left a contact number, but an unnamed family source said that efforts to reach the line had not been successful, as it had remained switched off.

   The junior Dariye, who is seeking re-election into the Senate, was said to be in the state but could not be reached on phone. However, some people have been commenting on his father’s abduction. 

   According to a Jos resident Johnson Baba, who comes from Bokkos, the kidnappers may have financial motive to “cut” from Dariye’s jumbo pay in the National Assembly. He added: “Very soon they will make their demand known to the family, knowing fully that Dariye can pay whatever amount placed on his father just to set him free.

   “Again, they may do this to distract the senator from his campaigns because if his father is not set free, there is no way he can concentrate on his electioneering. In fact, this is an attempt to cripple him psychologically and emotionally.”

   However, a woman called Lina Uzoba, urged Dariye’s family not to take the development with levity, especially as the man is very old. She noted: “You know politicians can go any length to ensure they win elections. But I am exonerating Dariye’s opponents of this heinous, un-Godly and cowardly act.”