Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Monday allegedly kidnapped one Mrs Blessing Arinze, wife of a motorcycle dealer, Mr Chukwu Arinze, in Gboko Local government area of Benue State.
According to a source from the area who spoke with Daily Sun, Mrs Arinze was abducted at her husband’s shop, No,52 JS Tarka Way, Gboko.
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The source, who did not want his name in print, said the heavily-armed kidnappers numbering four stormed the shop demanding to see the victim’s husband (Mr Chukwudi Arinze).
However, it was gathered that before they could get to Chukwudi, who was their target, he had escaped leaving his wife behind in the shop.
“It was when the abductors discovered that their prime target had escaped that they decided to kidnap his wife after collecting all her phones and other personal items and drove away with her in their vehicle to an unknown destination through the Gondo Aluor way, shooting in the air to scare people,” the source explained.
Mr Chukwudi Arinze told newsmen that the abductors came in a tinted ash-blue-colour Lexus 330 vehicle at about 12:20 pm to kidnap him but he escaped before they later kidnapped his wife.
“When I saw them coming, I escaped through a sanitary line following previous information I got from people that the kidnappers were using Lexus car to go after their targeted victims in Gboko.
“Apart from the previous information, the abductors had first mistakenly grabbed our customer until one of them said, it was a misplaced identity. From there, they let go the man; it was at that point that I also escaped.”
Confirming the incident, the Caretaker Chairman for Gboko Local government Area, Barrister Jocab Iorver, said he had already reported the matter to police Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) for further investigation.
Benue State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, could not confirm the report when contacted as, according to her, she was yet to receive such report.