Charles Mato: Abductors demand N500m ransom

The abductors of Paramount Ruler of Gindri in Mangu LGA, Plateau State, Mr Charles Mato Dakat, have demanded N500 million ransom. Mato was kidnapped at his residence on December 14, 2022.

The Commander of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Ali, said this when officials of Correspondents Chapel of Plateau Council of Nigerian Union of Journalists visited him on Wednesday in Jos.

Gen. Ali, who is also the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3 Division, Nigerian Army, Rukuba, near Jos, said that his troops have arrested some suspects in connection with the crime.

“The abductors of the traditional ruler have called and demanded a random of N500 million to secure his release. We have arrested some suspects. They are in our custody.

“These are people we feel have knowledge of the incident. We have picked them up and they are being interrogated,” he said.

The Commander said his men have been deployed to the area to conduct search and rescue operation.

Ali, who further decried the rise in the spate of kidnapping in the country, said that security agencies are on top of their game toward ending the menace

“Kidnapping is one of the major problems in this country; it is increasing on daily basis. You can be kidnapped by anybody, anytime and anywhere.

“But we are working round the clock and have put modalities on ground to end the menace,” Ali said.

Until his appointment as the Pyem Chiefdon, Mr Charles Mato was a staff of the Nigeria National Petroleum Council, NNPC.