Police: We did not abduct Jaban

Sarawak police chief Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani says that a special team has been set up to search for the Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) presenter.

PETALING JAYA: The police dismissed the allegation that the Special Branch is involved in the disappearance of Radio Free Sarawak (RFS) presenter Peter John Jaban.

Sarawak police chief Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the police had no issues with him.

“It’s incorrect to link us with his disappearance,” he told FMT.

Jaban was allegedly “abducted” by three plainclothes men in an unmarked car while the former was travelling to Miri yesterday.

He was earlier detained, photographed and his documents photocopied by the Kota Kinabalu police while waiting to board his flight to Miri to join his family for the Gawai celebrations.

His whereabouts are still unknown to date.

Jaban came into the limelight when RFS launched its Iban language call-in shows in 2010 and the show became a success, with listeners calling in and openly speaking about land grabs and ruthless Barisan Nasional leaders.

Meanwhile, Acryl said that no police report had been lodged over Jaban’s disappearance as well.

Despite this, he said the Miri police headquarters had been instructed to open an inquiry paper on Jaban’s disappearance as it was matter of public interest.

“We have established a team to look for him, including in his hometown in Betong,” he added.

Asked whether the police suspected Jaban was abducted, Acryl replied: “At this point we are not ruling out anything. That’s why we have sent our officers to look for him.”

In a related devlopment, FMT reported that speculations were rife that Jaban might have engineered his “abduction” to escape the clutches of the police and Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s henchmen.