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From Judex Okoro, Calabar
There is palpable fear in Calabar metropolis following the abduction of a pastor, daughter, and three others
in the last four days.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that in the last one month about 8 persons have been kidnapped including one Igbo business man, Chris, a lady at Target, and two staff of University of Calabar at Satellite Town and all released after paying ransom running into several millions of Naira.
It was learnt that two days ago, a son of former council chairman from the northern part of the state, was kidapped by hoodlums.
During the administration of forever Governor Ben Ayade, one of the female commissioners, Gertrude Njar, spent 35 days in kidnappers’ den and later regained freedom after the family allegedly paid ransom.
At the onset of Governor Otu administration, Neurology Consultant, Prof Ekanem Ephraim of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UNICAL) was kidnapped on July 13, 023, and yet to be freed.
The latest onslaught on residents took place yesterday night when gun-trotting men invade Satellite Town community in Calabar Municipality and whisked away a pastor identified as Rev Dr Mike Obiora of Word Alive Church, his daughter, Shalom, and another landlord, who is a neighbour of Rev.Obiora.
A witness, who identifies himself as Fidelis Ukpong, said the kidnappers, who they suspect had laid ambush, later stormed their victims’ premises and operated between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30pm.
According to him, the kidnappers succeeded in taking away Rev Dr. Mike Obiora of Word Alive Church, his daughter, Shalom and another landlord after sporadic gunshots to scare away neighbours.
He disclosed that one of the landlords, who could not be identified as at the time of filling this report, just moved into the new house located at the end of Victory Way close to the stream.
The witness said residents of Statelite Town now leave in fear as kidnapping along that axis of the water line has become a regular occurrence, adding that they cannot predict the next move and plans of these criminal elements.
Condemning the inccessant kidnap in town, the chairman of Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), in Cross River State, Comrade Anthony Attah, had called on Governor Bassey Otu to need up security rather than just promising to arrest culprits.
Attah said: “Kidnapping has become a recurring decimal in both the state capital and in the hinterlands, and the government has always maintained a well rehearsed position.
“The government needs to do much more than promising to arrest the culprits and condemning the act. Besides the security agencies should intensify their quest for intelligence as these criminal elements are not from the moon but coexist with the people.
“Beyond what is reported at the state capital and its environs, the level of kidnapping going on in the rural areas is an unmitigated catastrophe.”
At a media parly to mark his 100 days in office, Governor Bassey Otu disclosed that he was about to acquire a special technology that can detect kidnappers in any part of the state.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of Cross River State Police Command, Irene Igbo, said: “More than 35 securities operatives, including the Army personnel, Police, Dragon squad and the Airport DPO combed the creeks and the swamps for more than four hours but couldn’t track them, as they had already gone with their victims.
“We advice residents to, at this point, be vigilant and calculative in their in and out movements.”
