Police said a suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident.

The police in Akwa Ibom State have confirmed the abduction of a former permanent secretary in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria.

The man, identified as Ignatius Brown, was abducted on Monday, a few metres away from his home, in Abak Local Government Area, while returning from a church meeting in the evening, according to a report by Channels TV.

The report quoted unnamed sources as saying that some armed men had trailed Mr Brown from the church - Saint John's Catholic Church, Abak - before they (gunmen) overtook and blocked his car along Abak-Ikot Ekpene Road.

The gunmen reportedly fired gunshots into the air to scare away other road users, and pushed the driver out of the car, before abducting the former permanent secretary.

The gunmen fled with the man's car, but later abandoned it on a highway - Abak-Ekparakwa Road, according to the Channels TV report.

The police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Odiko Macdon, said a suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident.

He said the suspect was helping the police with information that would lead to the tracking down of the kidnappers.

"We have received that report already, and as we speak, preliminary investigation is ongoing.

"The Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durusinmi, has detailed the officer-in-charge of kidnapping and other tactical teams to ensure that the victim is successfully rescued and reunited with his family," said Mr Macdon, a superintendent of police.

"Based on the CP's instructions, a lot had already been done. We have one person in our custody who is helping us with the necessary information, and I believe that the kidnapped victim will soon regain his freedom."

Mr Brown is the chairperson of Saint John's Catholic Church Council in Abak.

He has been living in Abak for many years before his abduction.