The National Forum of Former Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the abduction of one of its members, Hon. Hassan Biu Miringa, a former Vice Chairman of Biu Local Government Area in Borno State.
The forum made the appeal in a 4-paragraph letter submitted on Sunday evening to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, following the emergence of a disturbing video showing two men allegedly abducted by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Borno State.
The letter, signed by the forum’s National Coordinator, Hon. Godstime Chukwubuikem Samuel, referenced a report by security intelligence expert Zagazola Makama, which confirmed that one of the abductees in the video was Hon. Hassan Biu Miringa. The second abducted victim was not immediately identified.
In the video, which was recorded under duress, the two men appealed for urgent help, revealing that their captors are demanding a ransom of $300,000 (approximately N428 million) for their release. The abductees disclosed that they were kidnapped on December 17, 2025, while travelling from Miringa to Maiduguri.
“We were abducted on our way from Miringa to Maiduguri around 2:30. Alhamdulillah, we are alive,” one of the victims said in the footage. “We are calling on the government and individuals to come to our rescue.”
According to the victims, the terrorists are demanding $150,000 from each of them as a condition for their freedom. They also directly appealed to prominent political and community leaders in Borno State, including the Deputy Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur; Hon. Mukhtar Betara Aliyu; Hon. Sule Ali Rimi; Hon. Yakubu Gambo Kimba; and Alhaji Musa Dogo Biu, urging them to intervene.
“We are pleading with them to come to our rescue. We are their sons,” one of the men said. “They said we must provide $150,000 each. We want to be reunited with our families.”
In its letter to President Tinubu, the forum expressed deep concern over the safety of their colleague and called on the President to immediately direct the Minister of Defence and the nation’s security chiefs to intensify efforts towards securing his release.
The forum stressed that the continued abduction of citizens, including former public office holders, highlights the persistent security challenges in the North-East, despite ongoing military operations against Boko Haram and its ISWAP faction.
Borno State has remained a major hotspot of insurgent activity, with terrorists continuing to carry out attacks, abductions and ransom kidnappings, raising fresh concerns over the safety of travellers and residents in the region.
