From: Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
Armed robbers numbering about five, on Sunday night, attacked the residence of the Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Ebonyi State chapter, Mr. Leonard Nkah, located at Mile 50, in Abakaliki.
This was happening less than 24 hours to the grand reception organised by the workers in the state for Governor David Umahi at the Abakaliki Township Stadium.
According to the labour leader, the robbers ransacked his house and took away some valuables including some undisclosed amount of money.
“I was called by my wife around 9:00p.m. that robbers came to our house and demanded for my whereabouts. They said they got information that there was money that was brought in and that they need the money.
“They forced her to lie down despite the fact that she was pregnant. They ransacked the house and took whatever they could find but they were disappointed that there was no such huge amount of money in my house,” he narrated.
He further said lamented that the robbers manhandled and abducted his wife and thereafter dumped her in a bush some metres away from his house.
“They assaulted my house help who opened the door when they came in. They also assaulted my wife and later abducted her. They beat her up while forcing her to lie down with her pregnancy which was difficult for her. They took her to other residents in the area where they also robbed before dumping her in the bush.
“I thank God I wasn’t there; if I was there maybe it may have been a different story. They had information that I had huge sum of money. I was gathering resources to organise this reception for the Governor today, maybe some people told them I have money” he narrated.
In a similar development, a journalist attached to the Ebonyi State Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC), Mr. Moses Erogu, was had his residence burgled, on Sunday morning, by thieves.
Mr. Erogu, who is the Government House Abakaliki Correspondent of the station, said the incident happened while he was in the church with his family.
“I took my family to 6:00a.m. mass and from there I went to work. Later my wife called me to come home and when I got there I saw that they broke into the house and ransacked the house, took away some valuables including a phone belonging to my sister and some cash in the house”.
Erogu’s residence is located around the state’s House of Assembly at Nkaliki. He lamented the increasing rate of criminal activities in the area even as he called on the security agencies to beef up security in the area.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident but said nobody was abducted. She said the police acted on a distress call by some concerned neighbours which save the situation. ENDS