The Niger State Government says it has demolished the house of the suspended mastermind of the abduction of staff of the University of Abuja.

The government said the suspect, Mohammadu Umar, bought his house located in Nakagbe in Bosso Local Government Area of the state with proceeds of kidnapping and other crimes.

Emmanuel Umaru, the state commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, told reporters in Minna on Saturday that Mr Umar has been identified as the prime suspect in the UniAbuja abduction and is currently cooling his feet in security operatives’ dungeon.

On Monday, gunmen invaded the staff quarters of the University of Abuja, the nation’s capital, kidnapping two professors and four of their family members.

The abductees were later rescued following concerted efforts by joint operations of security forces.

The commissioner said that the suspect’s confessional statement led to the rescue of the kidnap victims and members of their families.

“We will not allow kidnappers, bandits or any criminal to make our state a safe haven,’’ he said.

Mr Umaru called on residents to be vigilant and be security conscious and to also report strange movements to security agencies.

The commissioner said that the state government along with security agencies had already mapped out a comprehensive security strategy to flush out all criminals from the state.

“We will give all the necessary support to the police and other security agencies in the on-going fight against banditry, kidnapping and other crimes.

“We have already reached out to traditional rulers and other stakeholders to support security agencies with intelligence information that could aid in apprehending miscreants,’’ he said.

The commissioner appealed to residents not to hesitate to report any person or group of people with questionable character to the nearest security agency for prompt action. 

(NAN)