Mirian Gom 
MAKURDI, Nigeria – The Benue State Police Command has disputed reports that the Medical Director of Multicare Hospital, Makurdi, Dr Jonah Ogbaji, was abducted, saying he was arrested by operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) attached to the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja.
The clarification followed reports that armed men stormed Ogbaji’s hospital at about 9pm on Wednesday and took him away while he was attending to patients.
In a statement on Thursday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Peter Aondongu, said the command had verified the incident and established that the doctor was arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation. “The Command has received enquiries regarding reports of the alleged abduction of a medical doctor and owner of a hospital in Makurdi.
“Upon verification, the report is false. The doctor was not abducted. He was arrested yesterday at his hospital by operatives of the Special Tactical Squad (STS) attached to the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja, in connection with an ongoing investigation,” Aondongu said.
The police spokesman, however, said the specific circumstances surrounding the investigation were not yet known to the Benue Command.
The reports of an alleged abduction had emerged after witnesses said men arrived at the hospital in a Toyota Sienna vehicle and took Ogbaji away.
A daughter of the doctor had earlier said the family was unable to establish his whereabouts and had visited several police stations in Makurdi after workers were told by the men that they were taking him “just here”.
The family’s account prompted concerns that the doctor had been kidnapped, although the police have now said he was arrested by federal security operatives.
The Benue Police Command advised members of the public and the media to disregard reports describing the incident as an abduction or kidnapping.
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