A staff member of Image Merchants Promotion Limited, publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, Salis Manaja, has been reportedly kidnapped while travelling from Ebonyi to Kwara State for the company?s annual Young Communication Fellowship programme.

Manaja was said to have embarked on the trip on Saturday before he was kidnapped along an unspecified route.

PUNCH Metro learnt this on Monday after Manaja?s colleagues raised the alarm on social media about his whereabouts.

According to them, he was missing after repeated calls to his phone went unanswered.

One of his colleagues, Abdulrasheed Kofa, in a Facebook post on Monday, called for prayers for his safe return.

Kofa, who referred to himself as a fellow in an earlier session of the same fellowship held in Kano, wrote, ?Please include Oga Manager, M. Salis, in your prayers. He was kidnapped along his way to Ilorin. Oga Manager, a dedicated multimedia journalist with PRNigeria, travelled to Ilorin for the 2025 PRNigeria Young Communication Fellowship.

?I was a fellow in an earlier session of the same fellowship held in Kano a few weeks ago. May Allah, with His infinite mercy and protection, guard him wherever he is and give his family the strength to bear his absence.?

Another friend, Nuhu Masa, also shared his concern in a Facebook post on Monday, stating that all efforts to reach the victim proved abortive.

?Our friend and brother, Salis Muhammad Manaja, a multimedia journalist with PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, headquartered in Abuja, has been kidnapped by gunmen on his way to Ilorin today. All efforts to reach him have proved abortive. Please include him in your prayers,? he wrote.

Also reacting, a human rights and anti-corruption activist, Umar Umar, in a Facebook post, described the incident as heartbreaking and unacceptable.

He, however, called on the Federal Government and security agencies to take decisive action to rescue the journalist, adding that it was their constitutional duty to protect lives and property.

?I am deeply shocked and heartbroken over the abduction of our dear brother, Malam Salis Muhammad Manaja, a committed multimedia journalist with our proud organisation, Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR). This unfortunate incident is yet another painful reminder of the alarming state of insecurity in our country, where innocent citizens are no longer safe on our highways.

?I strongly condemn this cruel and senseless act and urge the authorities to ensure Salis? safe and speedy release. Nigerians deserve to live without fear. Security is not a privilege; it is our right,? he added.

Meanwhile, a security analyst and counterinsurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, in a post on X.com on Monday, stated that the abductors had contacted the family.

?A source close to the family confirmed that the abductors have since made contact, demanding a ransom for his release. Details regarding the exact location where the kidnapping took place remain unconfirmed,? he wrote.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, could not be reached as calls made to his telephone line were not responded to. A text message sent to him had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.

Calls made to the contact number found on PRNigeria?s website went unanswered. A text message sent to the number had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.

The incident adds to the long list of travellers who have fallen victim to abductions in recent months, as insecurity continues to plague major routes linking the regions in the country.

In December 2024, an assistant editor-in-chief at the News Agency of Nigeria, Gregory Maduakolam, was kidnapped and released days later. (PUNCH)

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