Gunmen suspected to be bandits have invaded a private hospital, Kunwarke Clinic and Maternity in Kan-Tsakuuwa, near Federal University Lafia, Nasarawa State, abducting five persons.

It was gathered that the gunmen, who came shooting sporadically to scare residents of the area, whisked away a staff of the hospital, Cletus Igube, and four relations of some patients.

Director of the hospital, a former Deputy Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Elisha Agwadu, said the kidnappers came 30 minutes after he left the hospital.

Agwadu said, “The kidnappers contacted me this morning at about 6:30am and told me that this was the 26th time they had come after me without getting me. All we are demanding from you now if you don’t want your staff and others to be killed is N20m.

“They put a call through to me again at about 12:20pm demanding a ransom of N20m. They have asked me not to contact the police for anything.”