JUST-IN: Gunmen Kidnap 5 Persons In Ebonyi

Yet-to-be identified gunmen, on Tuesday evening, kidnapped five persons along the ever-busy Mile 2 axis of the Ishiagu-Okigwe expressway in Ebonyi State.

The victims were said to be returning home from Enugu Airport in an airport taxi Siena space bus with Registration Number KWL 941 PD when they were kidnapped at Mile 2 area in Ishiagu and taken into the nearby bush by the unknown gunmen.

A source from the community, who spoke to LEADERSHIP on the ground of anonymity, gave the names of the kidnap victims as Ajah Chibuzo aged 41, his wife, his 12-year-old daughter, and the driver of the vehicle.

The source further revealed to LEADERSHIP that the hoodlums, while taking the victims into the bush, also met a farmer on his farm and abducted him.

He stated that the vehicle conveying the initial four victims was abandoned at the scene of the incident but was later recovered to Ishiagu Police Station by security operatives.

LEADERSHIP recalls that no fewer than 20 persons have been kidnapped along the axis in the last four months, with about four of the victims killed by the assailants.

The women of the community had few months ago staged a protest, which later turned violent, following the continued abduction of innocent residents of the area by the hoodlums.

When contacted, the Special Assistant to the Ebonyi State Governor on Internal Security for Ivo local government area of the State, Hon. Ike Cletus, who confirmed the latest abduction, expressed regret that the local government has become a safe haven for kidnappers, attributing the development to the non-functionality of the local vigilante group in the LGA.

Hon. Cletus expressed concern that apart from the military personnel at the expressway, the vigilante group set up by the local government council was not functional even as he called for a total overhaul of the security architecture of the local government area.

“It is unfortunate that Ivo Local Government has become a safe haven for kidnappers and other criminal elements. We have a non-functional vigilante group in the local government. You hardly see them anywhere in the local government, yet money is spent on them monthly without any fruitful result.

“The security architecture of the local government, especially that of the local vigilante group, must be overhauled and make it more efficient,” the governor’s security aide stated.

He maintained that the administration of Governor Francis Nwifuru was determined to ensure the security of lives and properties of all citizens and residents of Ebonyi State, even as he appealed for the support of the local government council chairmen in whose domains the kidnappers operate freely.