From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
Abducted lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies of the University of Port Harcourt, Choba, Rivers State, Dr. Joe Ayuwo, has been rescued from his captors.
Rivers State Police Command announced his rescue in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
The university don was abducted on February 21, 2021, long Bori Road by unknown gunmen while returning from a function in Andoni Local Government Area.
Ayuwo was taken hostage and had been in captivity until his release at about 10pm on Monday.
State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Nnamdi Omoni, a Superintendent of Police (SP), who confirmed the lecturer’s rescue, said his release was made possible due largely to the intense and relentless pressure mounted by the Police.
Omoni disclosed that, Police had before his release, through technical intelligence, spotted their (kidnappers’) location and was closing in on them.
He said the kidnappers, on seeing the red flag, abandoned the victim and fled.
The PPRO further said the victim would soon reunite with his family and friends after receiving medical attention.
Omoni said that since the abduction of the victim and a traditional ruler, the Police Command, in synergy with other security agencies, had been working assiduously to ensure their unconditional release with careful deployment of tact and diplomacy in the operations, to avoid bloody confrontation that would have led to fatalities.
The PPRO expressed optimism that with the release of the lecturer, the coast was clear for the release of the traditional ruler.
He said energies would be channeled towards ensuring release of the traditional ruler.
Omoni said the State Commissioner of Police, CP Eboka Friday, had appealed to members of the public to remain calm, as the command was poised to rid Rivers of the menace posed by criminal elements.
