Basilan town vice mayor reportedly abducted

MANILA, Philippines  — Government forces were searching for a town’s vice mayor Wednesday after her family reported that she has been abducted outside a shopping mall in the country’s restive south, where a series of kidnappings has set off a security alarm.

Police Senior Superintendent Diomarie Albarico said the husband of Arsina Nanoh reported that she was abducted by unidentified men Tuesday near a shopping mall in the bustling port city of Zamboanga.

Nanoh is the vice mayor of Hadji Muhtamad town in nearby Basilan province, police said.

Albarico said Alnajil Nanoh told investigators that his wife called late Tuesday and said she was abducted outside a Zamboanga city mall and was being held blindfolded in a room by unidentified men.

No group has claimed responsibility nor demanded ransom for the abduction, Albarico said, adding investigators were trying to determine if the reported abduction was linked to Nanoh’s work or business.

Nanoh’s election victory last year was being contested by a rival. She is also a gold jewelry trader, according to Albarico.

A number of kidnappings for ransom, mostly blamed on Abu Sayyaf militants, has set off a security alarm in the south. Gunmen abducted two children, their nanny and a driver while on the way to school Monday on nearby Jolo island in Sulu province, sparking concerns among parents, school officials and residents.

Abu Sayyaf militants still hold several captives in their jungle camps in Sulu’s mountainous hinterlands, including two European bird watchers who were kidnapped two years ago.

RELATED STORIES

12 civilians abducted by MNLF in Basilan, 4 freed later

Gunmen abduct 2 teachers in Basilan