A government official working with Bauchi state Ministry for Local government Affairs was shot dead on Thursday by unknown gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.
It was learn that a police sergeant was also injured following an exchange of fire between security operatives and the gunmen who escaped through the bush.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said the gunmen stormed a mosque where the deceased Babangida Garba went to pray around 6.00 am and asked everybody in the mosque to lay on the floor and took Babangida away but the gunmen angrily shot him when he was resisting to follow them.
He said ” Babangida came out this morning to pray in a mosque located in front of his house opposite Larema hotel at new GRA and immediately after the prayer some gunmen entered and asked us to lay on the floor and they took him away, we later heard gunshot and by the time they left we saw Babangida’s body close to the mosque where they shot and abandoned his corpse, it’s quite sad and unfortunate”.
The 53 years old Babangida was a onetime accountant at SSG’ office in Government House Bauchi and was the Director Admin and Finance with ministry for Local government Affairs until his death.
Bauchi state Police Commissioner, Lawal Shehu who confirmed the incident while addressing a press conference in his office said “there was a serious exchange of fire between our men and unspecified group of armed men along Bauchi-Jos highway at 6.20am following a distress call and as a result the armed men abandoned their vehicle and fled I to the bush with bullet wounds.
” The suspects stormed a mosque at new GRA opposite Larema hotel where they shot and killed 53 years old Babangida Garba, a staff of Ministry of Local Government Affairs in a bid to resist being abducted. A police sergeant attached to Federal Highway patrol sustained injuries in the encounter and is responding to treatment.
Exhibit recovered from the gunmen according to CP Shehu are one magazine, 31 rounds of life ammunition of 7.62mm, 12 empty shells of 7.62mm, one black Volkswagen Golf station wagon car with rear plate no KTN-124-TED as well as other vital document that will assist in arresting the culprits.
He said normalcy has been restored to the area while the surroundings has been condoned off by combined security forces assuring that police has engage in intensive patrols to arrest the fleeing suspects.
