Gunmen suspected to be militants from the Niger Delta struck in Akwa Ibom State on Friday and abducted the Chairrman of Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Mr. Aniefiok Ekong.
The militants were said to have accosted Ekong along Abak-Uyo Road on Friday before whisking him away to an unknown destination.
Our correspondent gathered that the council chairman was kidnapped alongside his personal assistant and driver.
It was however not clear whether the chairman�s driver escaped or not, but an eyewitness said they were pushed out of their Peugeot saloon vehicle into another car before they were taken away.
Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Moses Anegbode, said that the abductors were daring enough to have beaten the security of the council chairman.
Anegbode, who spoke on the phone with our correspondent on Sunday, disclosed that those who kidnapped Ekong had already asked for a N50m ransom in order to effect his quick release.
He said, �I am aware of the incident that took place on Friday and I can only tell you that the abductors have demanded the sum of N50m as ransom.�
The commissioner, however, refused to make further comments, saying that he had already informed the force headquarters in Abuja about the development.
He also stated that since the matter was still under investigation, it would not be appropriate to make further comments on the matter.
It will be recalled that incidence of kidnapping and hostage taking reared its ugly head for the first time in Akwa Ibom State on October 3, 2006 when militants abducted seven foreign oil workers for over three weeks.