Former lawmaker abducted in Ouagadougou set free

Issouf Nikièma, former parliamentarian and member of a leading political party in Burkina Faso, kidnapped last Friday July 21 in capital Ouagadougou by an unknown armed man, has been set free, his party announced Tuesday July 25.
Union pour le Progrès et le Changement (UPC), Nikiema’s party, announced Tuesday that the politician was released by the men working for the State.
The former mayor of Komsilga, a town in central Burkina Faso was abducted as he was going to Friday prayer. The UPC in a statement condemned the kidnapping and added that “no charges have been leveled against its member”.
Following the abduction, hundreds of youth took to the streets in Nikiema’s district to condemn the incident and demand his release. The justice system of the West African country has not made any comments yet on the kidnapping and the release. The party is led by Zéphirin Diabré, former opposition leader under ousted leader Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
Diabre built a coalition with Kabore during the latter’s second term in office. He became minister of Reconciliation in a coalition.