The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Kano and Sokoto zones, on Thursday, expressed concern over the whereabouts of one of its members, Dr Abubakar Idris, who was said to have been abducted by gunmen almost four months ago.

Idris was reportedly kidnapped on August 2, 2019, in the Shagari Low-cost area of Barnawa in the Kaduna South Local Government Area of the state.

The victim is a lecturer at the Department of Languages and Linguistics, Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State.

Addressing journalists on Thursday in Kaduna, Dr Abubakar Sabo, who spoke on behalf of the two zones, said the kidnappers had yet to contact the family and demand ransom since the lecturer was abducted.

This, he said, gave the union cause for concern.

According to him, the family of the victim reported the incident to the police and other security agencies, but there has not been any positive response.

He said, “The abductors, up until now, have neither called for ransom nor stated any reason for his abduction.

“On October 11, 2019, the union submitted a letter to the office of the Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, formerly reporting the case and soliciting his quick intervention to trace the whereabouts of Idris, but there has not been any positive response.

“The union views the abduction of its member as inhuman and an abuse of his fundamental human rights, leading to tension and uncertainty among members of the university community and his family in particular.

“ASUU, therefore, implores the security agencies to be more proactive in finding our missing member and securing his immediate release.

“We also appeal to Nigerians to support us in this crusade.”

But the Kaduna State Police Command said it was after the abductors of the lecturer with a view to rescuing him and apprehending the perpetrators of the crime.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo, said the police had been briefing the victim’s family on the steps being taken.

Sabo added that the abduction of the lecturer was not a normal case of kidnapping since there had not been “any demand for ransom and all his lines could not be tracked.”