Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted Emmanuel Omanji, the Sangarin Dari and traditional ruler of Dari in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. The incident occurred late Wednesday night, between 11:00 and 11:30 pm, at the monarch’s private residence in Dari, near Garaku, the headquarters of Kokona LGA.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants arrived in large numbers and fired shots into the air to disperse people before forcibly whisking the ruler away. Dr. John W. Mamman, Nasarawa State Commissioner of Education and a native of Dari, confirmed the abduction, stating, “The kidnappers stormed the palace and fired sporadically to scare people. They then took the king away.”
This abduction comes just three months after Emmanuel Omanji was officially crowned Sangarin Dari by the college of selectors and formally appointed by the Nasarawa State Government.
The Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Ramhan Nansel, also confirmed the incident. He said the Commissioner of Police, Shetima Jauro Mohammed, has mobilized the anti-kidnapping unit, military, and vigilante groups to launch a search-and-rescue operation aimed at rescuing the monarch and apprehending the perpetrators.
The police have called on the public to provide any useful information to aid the rescue efforts, assuring that all tips will be treated with strict confidentiality.