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COTABATO CITY — Authorities launched a manhunt on Wednesday, March 26, after gunmen ambushed and killed a municipal election officer and her husband in Maguindanao del Norte province, police said.
AMBUSHED Investigators examine the bullet-riddled vehicle of slain election officer Bai Maceda Abo in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, on March 26, 2025. Abo and her husband were killed in the attack that prompted a province-wide manhunt. PHOTO COURTESY OF DXMS COTABATO/PNA
Brig. Gen. Romeo Macapaz, regional director for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, said all exit points from Datu Odin Sinsuat town were sealed after 8:30 a.m. attack in Barangay Makir.
The victims were identified as Bai Maceda Lidasan Abo, the election officer of Datu Odin Sinsuat, and her husband, Jojo Abo.
The victims were traveling in their SUV when attacked, according to provincial election officer Mohammad Nabil Mutia.
Jojo Abo died at the scene while his wife succumbed to her wounds at the Cotabato City Hospital at about 10 a.m., Mutia said in a radio interview.
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Mutia condemned the attack, calling Abo a dedicated public servant.
The ambush came a day after gunmen fired on a former village official's vehicle in nearby Barangay Taviran, slightly injuring two occupants.
Police said they are investigating possible connections between the incidents.
No suspects have been identified, and the motive remains unclear, authorities said.
