The Benue State Police Command has denied reports that the Medical Director of Multi Care Hospital, Makurdi, Dr Jonah Ogbaji, was abducted by unknown gunmen.
The Command said operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS), attached to the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja, arrested Ogbaji in connection with an ongoing investigation.
In a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Orchia Aondongu, the Command said it received enquiries over reports of the alleged abduction.
‘Upon verification, the report is false. The doctor was not abducted. Operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS), attached to the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja, arrested him yesterday at his hospital in connection with an ongoing investigation,’ the statement said.
The PPRO, however, said the Command was not yet aware of the specific circumstances surrounding the investigation.
He urged the media and members of the public to disregard reports of Ogbaji’s alleged abduction or kidnapping, describing them as false.
Earlier, Ogbaji’s daughter, Patience Ogbaji, had said her father was abducted by armed men who identified themselves as security operatives.
She said the incident occurred at about 9 pm on the hospital premises while her father was attending to patients.
According to her, the men arrived at the hospital in a Toyota Sienna vehicle and took Ogbaji away.
She said the family subsequently visited several police stations in Makurdi to establish his whereabouts.
‘He was on duty, and they took him. Some armed men claimed they were police officers, but so far no station has claimed to have seen him,’ she said.
Patience said hospital workers initially believed the men were taking Ogbaji to a police station because they claimed to be security personnel.
The Police Command’s statement has now clarified that STS operatives arrested Ogbaji, although it said it did not have details of the investigation.