Gunmen suspected to be bandits have attacked the mother of the Taraba State governor, Jumai Kefas, and his sister, Atsi.

The incident occurred yesterday along the Wukari-Kente road in Wukari Local Government Area of the state.

The chairman of Wukari Local Government confirmed the attack in a telephone interview with Weekend Trust.

He said some men on motorcycles attempted to stop the vehicle conveying the governor’s mother and sister, adding that one of the police escorts fired a warning shot into the air during the incident.

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“It is difficult to say if the men on motorcycles were bandits, kidnappers or armed robbers. I wasn’t present when the incident occurred, but investigations are underway to determine their identities,” the chairman said.

The chairman did not disclose whether any of the attackers had been arrested.

Weekend Trust gathered that Atsi Kefas sustained a gunshot wound during the incident. She was initially treated at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Wukari, where her condition was stabilised before she was flown to Abuja for further medical attention.

When contacted, the spokesman of the Taraba State police command, SP Usman Abdullahi, confirmed the attack. He noted that the incident involved a vehicle conveying individuals from the governor’s house and that one person sustained injuries.

Efforts to reach the Special Assistant on Media and Digital Communication to the Governor, Mr Emmanuel Bello, and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Yusuf Sanda for comments were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.