A former Commissioner of the National Population Commission (NPC), Zakari Umaru-Kigbu, has been shot dead.

It was gathered that Umaru-Kigbu, a retired Air Force officer, was killed on Sunday morning by gunmen at his residence in Azuba Bashayi in Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

It was learnt that the gunmen also abducted two daughters of the ex-NPC commissioner

A family member, who declined to be named, said the kidnappers demanded N50 million ransom for the release of the victims.

The incident was confirmed by the Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ramhan Nansel, noting that the command got a distress call at 12.20am on Sunday.

Nansel said upon receiving report of the incident, the state Commissioner of Police, Adesina Soyemi, immediately deployed police officers comprising anti-kidnapping unit and police mobile force to the scene.

He added that Soyemi had also visited the scene for on-the-spots assessment and condole with the family.

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The police spokesperson stated that an investigation was ongoing to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident, adding that the police would not rest on their oars to ensure that the abducted children were rescued unhurt.

Nansel said: “We responded to the distressed call and immediately deployed our patrol teams of the command and the military also drafted its men to the scene of the incident to support the Nigeria Police Force so as to rescue the two daughters of the diseased unhurt.

“The police will carryout a comprehensive investigation to unravel, arrest and prosecute those behind the dastardly act.”

He added that the ex-NPC commissioner was rushed to Dalhatu Raf Specialist Hospital (DASH), Lafia, where he was confirmed dead.

60-year-old Umaru-Kigbu, until his murder, was a lecturer at the Department of Mass Communication, lsa Mustapha Agwai Polytechnic (IMAP), Lafia, and former NPC federal commissioner covering Nasarawa State.

The deceased was a former National President, Eggon Cultural and Development Association (ECDA)

It was further learnt that the deceased was the agent of a governorship aspirant, Labaran Maku, a former Minister of Information, who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but later stepped down.

The Star