Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
At least two persons including a Banker and an ex-council boss’ husband have been kidnapped by some yet to be identified gunmen at Apa Agila, Ado local government area of Benue State.
Sources from the area told newsmen that the suspected kidnappers stormed the residence of the banker, Prince Ochoga Agbese at about 7.00pm on Sunday and whisked him away.
One of our sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity disclosed that the kidnappers were yet to establish contacts with the abductee’s family at the time of filing this report.
The source said the kidnapped banker who has business establishments at Apa-Agila and works in one of the banks in Minna, Niger State had returned home from his work base following the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ado local government has become a den of kidnappers in the past few months. Just two Sundays ago, precisely on the 25th of April, 2020, a pastor, Samuel Agbo Unogwu, husband of immediate elected Chairman of Ado LGC, Blessing Unogwu, was kidnapped in this area.
“The suspected kidnappers who were armed with sophisticated weapons stormed his house at about 7:00pm and whisked him away to an unknown destination. The man of God was later released after ransom was paid,” our source alleged.
A community leader and one time chairman of the local government, Otse Otokpa who spoke by telephone to our correspondent decried the rising spate of kidnapping in the council and advised stakeholders in the area to take proactive steps to nip the ugly trend in the bud.
“The Council Chairman should, as a matter of urgency, call Ado stakeholders meeting to address the issue and possibly delegate some people to see the Governor.”
On his part, acting chairman of the local government, Abel Onazi who also confirmed the kidnap of the two prominent people in his council said that he had reported already the matter to the state government.
“There is high rate of kidnapping in the local government. Just two Sundays ago, the husband of the former elected chairman of the local government was kidnapped, though had been released.
“The security men are on the trail of the man they kidnapped last Sunday and I have met with the state government on the increase in crime rate in the local government and I am awaiting their assistance,” Onazi said.
The acting chairman said that the family of the former elected chairman, Blessing Agbo had to squeeze out N900,000 before they could secure the release of her abducted husband penultimate Sunday ago.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Benue State Command, DSP Catherine Anene who confirmed the report as well as the rising cases of kidnapping in the local government said that the command had at a time dispatched Policemen to the area and were able to arrest some suspects.
“We once sent policemen to the area around February and were able to arrest some suspects but you know that due to the terrain of the area, it makes it (kidnapping) rampant because they always run to the bush after the crime.”