PRNigeria staff, Salis Manaja, was kidnapped while travelling from Ebonyi to Kwara for a fellowship. Family confirms abductors have contacted them

PRNigeria staff kidnapped while travelling from Ebonyi to Kwara State for the company’s annual Young Communication Fellowship has sparked widespread concern across Nigeria’s media community.

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The victim, Salis Manaja, a staff member of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, was reportedly abducted on Saturday along an unspecified route while heading to Ilorin for the fellowship event.

Manaja’s disappearance was confirmed on Monday after his colleagues raised alarm on social media, noting that repeated calls to his phone went unanswered.

One of his colleagues, Abdulrasheed Kofa, who described Manaja as “a dedicated multimedia journalist,” urged Nigerians to pray for his safe return. “Please include Oga Manager, M. Salis, in your prayers. He was kidnapped along his way to Ilorin,” Kofa posted on Facebook.

Another associate, Nuhu Masa, echoed the concern, revealing that all efforts to contact Manaja had failed. “Our friend and brother, Salis Muhammad Manaja, a multimedia journalist with PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, has been kidnapped by gunmen on his way to Ilorin. All efforts to reach him have proved abortive,” he said.

Reacting to the incident, human rights activist Umar Umar condemned the abduction, calling it a “heartbreaking and unacceptable act.”

He urged the Federal Government and security agencies to act swiftly to secure the journalist’s release, stressing that “security is not a privilege; it is our right.”

Meanwhile, counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama disclosed on X.com that the kidnappers had contacted Manaja’s family and demanded a ransom, though details of his location remain unclear.

Efforts to reach the Force Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages were not returned. Attempts to contact PRNigeria’s management also went unanswered at the time of filing this report.

The PRNigeria staff kidnapped incident adds to a growing list of abductions targeting travellers and journalists across Nigeria’s highways. In December 2024, News Agency of Nigeria editor Gregory Maduakolam was similarly abducted before being released days later.

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As insecurity continues to escalate, the Nigerian press community is once again calling on authorities to ensure the protection of journalists and guarantee the safe return of Salis Manaja.