The Chairman of Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Bright Abeke, has been abducted by unknown gunmen.
He was reportedly abducted from his hotel along Owumi Road in Sapele on Friday night around 7:25 pm.
It was gathered that the gunmen, in their numbers, stormed the hotel in a Range Rover SUV, shooting sporadically to disperse onlookers.
A member of a local vigilante group, identified simply as Ufuoma, was reportedly shot during the attack and rushed to a nearby hospital.
The whereabouts of the council chairman remain unknown as of press time.
The Police Public Relations Officer for Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident to Punch, saying the command had commenced operations to secure the victim’s release.
“Confirmed. The CP has ordered that the command’s special anti-kidnapping unit deploy their arsenals to ensure that he is rescued unhurt and the suspects arrested,” he said in a WhatsApp message.