Families of Lagdo hostages demand explanations

The families of the Lagdo hostages have demanded explanations on the supposed rumor which stated that the Mayor of the town, as well as other hostages, had supposedly been set free.

It all started with a brief text published on Monday, September 21, 2015, on Facebook. The information outlined the release of the Lagdo Mayor Mama Abakai and 14 other hostages who were abducted nearly seven months ago by armed gunmen in the Eastern Region. The news spread like wildfire in the country.

Unfortunately, the Governor of the Eastern Region, Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua, in an interview with the national radio, denied the rumor which announced the release of Mama Abakai Mayor and the other hostages.

This news immediately raised concerns from the people of Lagdo. With no Mayor for seven months, “the populations are already beginning to show their displeasure,” said the daily Emergence on Wednesday, September 30, 2015.

According to the newspaper, the renunciation by the Governor of the East, "was a very bitter pill to swallow for people and the families of the victims who were absent on the day of the feast of Tabaski."

In the Lagdo Council, all the staff have slowed down their activities. “Several activities have been blocked since the absence of the Mayor. However, we cannot stay without doing anything. The Town Hall is supposed to be active. Even if there is hope that the Mayor will be found alive, we cannot stop everything to wait for him,” said an employee of the Town Hall.