Two daughters, one relative of Plateau water board MD abducted  in Jos 

Two daughters and a relative of Apollos Samchi, Managing Director of the Plateau State Water Board  have been reportedly abducted by unknown gunmen in Jos, Plateau state capital.

They were reportedly kidnapped in the early hours of Monday during an attack on Samchi’s residence in the Rantya area of Jos South Local Government Area.

A source told journalists that the incident occurred about 12: 53 am on January 26.

The attackers also shot the family’s security guard, identified as Benard Makjwan, in the stomach. He was rushed to Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jos, where he is currently receiving treatment.

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“On arrival at the scene, it was discovered that some armed men suspected to be kidnappers had forced their way into the house of Engr. Apollos Samchi and abducted his three children – Nanlop Samchi, Kyenret Samchi and Favour Samchi, all females,” the source said.

The source added that an investigation had commenced, while frantic efforts were ongoing in collaboration with the military and other security agencies to rescue the abducted girls and apprehend the perpetrators.

However, another source within the Water Board has provided clarification on the identities of the three girls kidnapped in the incident.

The staff member, who spoke in a telephone chat with BusinessDay on Tuesday in Jos on condition of anonymity because she was not authorised to speak publicly, said initial reports mixed up the relationships between the victims and the MD.

According to her, two of the kidnapped girls are the MD’s biological daughters, while the third is his relative, who also works with the Jos water service corporation.

“The truth is that two are his daughters, and the other, Nanlop Dalak Tanko is not his biological daughter but a relative who works with us”.

When BusinessDay contacted Alfred Alabo, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Plateau State Command, he neither answered phone calls nor responded to text messages sent to him seeking confirmation as of the time of filing this report.

Nathaniel E. Gbaoron is the Plateau State correspondent for BusinessDay and a seasoned journalist with a decade of experience covering sub-national affairs across Taraba, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, and other states.

He holds both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Mass Communication from Fidel Polytechnic, Gboko. Over the years, he has participated in numerous media trainings and workshops spanning various areas of reporting, strengthening his expertise in economic and political reporting, community-level governance, development stories, and conflict-sensitive journalism. He is a member of Correspondent Chapel in Plateau state, a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), he is also a Rotarian and a member of Plateau Club 1921.

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