Fourteen passengers travelling from Port Harcourtto Onitsha in AnambraState on a business trip, were reportedly kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers at Mbiama/Port Harcourt East West road penultimate Monday (19th of July 2021)
Those kidnapped include EnagoWilliam, Victoria Ekelemou, Ifeanyi Prosper, OgbuzuruChristopher Okechukwu, Fidelis Okonkwo, FrankBuchi, EbimoweAlfred and Patrick Ugo respectively.Others are Lawrence Chigozie, James Okpala, Lucky Samson, ChidinmaAdaugo, Stella Obiamaka and Victor Emeka.
An eye witnesses who gave detailed accounts of what transpired said that the kidnappers blocked their vehicle at the ever busy road with a Toyota Sienna bus and started shooting sporadically before they (kidnappers ) gained access to kidnap them, saying they were immediately taken to captivity where negotiation started with the abducted victims’ families.
The sources said that while OgbuzuruChristopher Okechukwuand others were released after payment of ransom, some of the kidnapped victims were killed, while others were injured for not leaving up to their challenges.
But confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command said that scores were killed by the kidnappers and that those who were released after payment of ransom, did not disclose how much they paid, while he assured that the police werestrategizing strongly to unravel the circumstances leading to the kidnapping and subsequent killing of the passengers, just as the families of those victims killed, have accusedPatrick Ugo to have allegedly played a very major role in the killing of their brothers and sisters even though it is apparent that the victims were unable to pay their ransom.
That consequent upon the accusation, the victims’ families have vowed to revenge the killing of their relatives and as such, started sending different threat messages with a view to killing him too.
