A former Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Sani Toro; a former Assistant Coach of the Nigeria Super Eagles, Garba Yila; and one of their friends, Alhaji Isa Jah, have been abducted by gunmen, with a N150 million ransom placed on them.
They were kidnapped at about 7:30pm around a village in Nasarawa State.They were said to have been on their way back to Bauchi from Abuja where they attended the wedding of the son of a former NFF President, Aminu Maigari, on Saturday.
A family source, who confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro in a telephone interview on Sunday, said the kidnappers had demanded N150m as ransom.
The source said the hoodlums spoke to their host, Maigari.
“Yes, it is true that he (Isa Toro) was driving with two of his friends when they were kidnapped yesterday (Saturday). The kidnappers are demanding a ransom of N50m for each of them,” the source said.
A family friend and neighbour of Toro, Mallam Ardo Hazzad, also confirmed the incident to PUNCH correspondent.
He said, “One of them, the former Super Eagles Assistant Coach, Garba Yila, is not in a good condition, health wise.
“It is unfortunate and pathetic for the incident to have happened after they went for the wedding of one of our friends. And if I was aware of the wedding, I would have been with them because I would have travelled with them to the wedding in Abuja.”
The Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakili, who confirmed the abduction, said he could not give details of the incident as it happened outside his state.
Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, said, “Yes, the news is true. I got across to one of his sons who told me he was kidnapped around Akwanga road in Nasarawa while returning from Abuja.”
A former Deputy National President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Umar Sai’du, described the incident as sad and disturbing, saying it would send panic to sports administrators, as well as the sportsmen and women.
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