Negotiations for Yusoph son's release stalled

MARAWI CITY , Philippines  – The negotiations for the release of the kidnapped son of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Elias Yusoph have been stalled following successive police raids on several suspected safehouses of the kidnappers here.

Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr., who heads the crisis management committee, said there have been no breakthroughs in their efforts to continue the negotiations as the kidnappers of Nuraldin Yusoph have stopped communicating with them for almost a week now.

“Several raids conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) on suspected safehouses here proved negative every time and the abductors might have lay low for the moment and stopped communicating with us,” Adiong said.

Adiong also attributed the negative results of the raids on confusing and unconfirmed information that the kidnappers were hiding the young Yusoph in a particular safehouse.

“No, we do not have any breakthrough yet in our efforts to recover the victim, but we are working hard to resolve this problem,” he said.

Following the retirement on Thursday of Senior Superintendent Paniares Adap, Task Force Yusoph chief and Lanao del Sur police director, Adiong ordered officer-in-charge Superintendent Cosani Derogongan to beef up their intelligence network and seek the cooperation of residents for information on the whereabouts of the young Yusoph.

Nuraldin Yusoph, 22, was snatched as he came out of a mosque in Barangay Sabala Amanao here last June 20.

The kidnappers immediately called his father and demanded that the results of last month’s special elections in at least four towns in Lanao del Sur be nullified in exchange for the release of his son. The four towns are Malabang, Picong, Taraka and Masiu.

Adiong believes that the abductors and their captive are still here or somewhere in Lanao del Sur.