An army senior officer, identified simply as Lt Colonel Josiah, has been abducted from his lodge in Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi Local Government Area, Delta State, shortly after attending a wedding ceremony.
The incident, which occurred around 2 a.m. on Sunday, has thrown the riverside town into panic. Soldiers of the Joint Task Force (JTF) have since intensified patrols across Bomadi and neighbouring communities.
According to sources, Lt Colonel Josiah had attended a wedding at Kpakiama community, near Bomadi, before returning to his lodge. Armed kidnappers reportedly stormed the premises in the dead of night, ransacked several rooms, confiscated lodgers’ phones, and whisked away the officer. Witnesses said the assailants fired shots before fleeing in a waiting vehicle, leaving traces of blood at the scene.
“The kidnappers arrived between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m., searched every room, collected phones, and dragged the officer outside. They fired a gunshot before escaping with him. By morning, we heard the JTF recovered the vehicle used for the operation, abandoned near Tuomo community along the Tuomo–Ogbobagbene–Tamigbe–Torugbene–Ojobo road. The vehicle has since been taken to the JTF base at Bomadi-Overside,” a source disclosed.
The abduction has heightened tension in Bomadi and its environs, with residents expressing fears of possible reprisals or harsh security measures following the incident.
