Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Fresh facts have indicated that seven fully-armed gunmen abducted Chief George Agbabou Week, father of the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Doodei Week and Ebenanaowei of Tarakiri kingdom in the wee hours of Thursday at Ayama-Ijaw in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.
The kidnappers according to an eye-witness, aside from whisking away the Octogenarian by dragging him on the floor, also carted away a television set and jewellery.
The kidnappers were believed to have come specifically for Week and the paramount ruler of the community, Chief Amen Sariki as they searched the community for one hour before they located his (Week’s) house while they could not locate Sariki’s house.
Sariki who confirmed that the kidnappers asked for the location to his house said all the distress messages sent to the Joint Military Task Force and the Nigeria Police were ignored.
“The wife and children of our clan head ran to my house crying. It was clear that they had been beaten up. They broke the news to me that the king had been kidnapped. They told me that the gunmen held them hostage, while they searched the house. After searching, they carried a television set, collected jewellery, and other valuable items. They then dragged the king who was wearing only pants on the ground up to the waterside. At that point, I started receiving report that the gunmen were still in the community. So I tried to reach the Joint Military Task Force and the Nigeria Police but didn’t get any response. After about an hour, I was told the gunmen had left the community.
“When we got to the waterside, I learnt that the kidnappers held a 20-year-old girl they saw on their way at gunpoint and asked her to tell them where my house is. According to her, she lied that she was not from the community and wouldn’t know my house. To pressure her to talk, they stripped her naked and sexually harassed her for several minutes but she refused to tell them where my house was. When they got tired, they untied a speedboat belonging to the commissioner and fled the community.”
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Asinim Butswat who confirmed the incident, said investigations were on-going and the police would issue a statement on it.