India believes local criminal groups may have been behind the kidnapping of the two Indians in Nigeria and ruled out involvement of militant groups like the Boko Haram and Al-Shabab that are active in the region. The Indian Government has not received any ransom call from any group so far but such abductions are very common in Nigeria.
Mangipudi Sai Srinivas, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, and his colleague Anish Sharma from Karnataka were travelling to Dangote Cement Plant in a car from their residential quarters in Gboko around 7.20 pm on Wednesday when a group of armed men kidnapped them at a traffic signal. Gboko is a town in the Benue state of north-central Nigeria.
“I have obtained a detailed report on the two Indian nationals Sai Srinivas and Anish Sharma who have been abducted in Nigeria. I have spoken to Mrs.lalita Srinivas. I have assured her that we are doing everything to secure their release,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.
MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup described the abduction as “nothing surprising or new in that area”, saying such incidents keep happening there. “As far as our information goes there is no hand of terror group Boko Haram and it seems local criminal elements were responsible for the act,” Swarup added.
The official said Indian mission in Abuja was in touch with Nigerian authorities in the matter and the Ministry was hopeful that they will return safely.
The abduction of Indians in Nigeria comes just a few days after Judith D’Souza, an Indian aid worker, was kidnapped in Afghanistan last month. Swarup said Prime Minister Narendra Modi took up this matter with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Tashkent on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit last week and sought his personal intervention in the early release of Judith. Ghani assured Modi that his security and intelligence agencies were making all efforts for Judith’s safe release.
Besides, the Indian Government is also making efforts to trace out Indian priest Father Thomas Uzzunalli who was abducted in Yemen, by suspected ISIS men. Though unconfirmed reports have claimed that Father Thomas has been killed by the militants, Indian Government believes he is alive.
Meanwhile, India has asked all its citizens not to undertake “non-essential” travel to disturbed areas including Afghanistan.