Missing journalist: Reps express worry over silence of security agencies

• mandate Service Chiefs, security agencies to locate him

The House of Representatives has passed a resolution directing the nation’s Service Chiefs and other heads of security agencies to locate and rescue the missing journalist, Mr Tordue Salem of Vanguard Newspaper.

The resolution was reached following the adoption of a motion moved by the House Minority Leader, Hon. Ndudi Godwin Elumelu, calling attention to the deafening silence on the matter, and the need to urgently find and reunite the missing reporter with his family.

It would be recalled that the Vanguard House of Representatives correspondent, Salem reportedly went missing when his family raised the alarm following his failure to turn up at home after his daily journalistic routine at the National Assembly on Wednesday, October 13, 2021.

Moving the motion under matter of urgent public importance on Tuesday, the Minority Leader noted that “Mr Salem reported for work at the National Assembly premises on Wednesday the 13th of October and was last seen in Garki district of FCT before his alleged disappearance same day.”

“His disappearance was immediately reported to the relevant security agencies as all efforts by both friends and family to reach him have been abortive.

“In spite of official effort by the leadership of the House to galvanise the security agencies at promptly resolving his disappearance. There’s been no headway.

“Further worried that this sudden disappearance is an extension of the deteriorating state of insecurity in the nation’s capital and again questions the efficiency of the country’s security operatives.

“… if necessary measures are not put in place to curtail the indiscriminate disappearance of innocent Nigerians living in Abuja, the federal capital may soon become a breeding ground for kidnappers and bandits, hence the need for an urgent investigation,” Elumelu cautioned.

The House in adopting the motion resolved that “all security agencies in Nigeria should urgently investigate his whereabouts.”

“That the committees on National security and intelligence, police, defence and interior should interface with service chiefs and other security agencies so as to find the missing Tordue and report back to the house within 2 weeks.”