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Two kidnapped Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) staff attached to Ebonyi Sector Command have not been seen one month after their kidnap.
The FRSC officials, whose names were yet to be disclosed by the command, were kidnapped on the Idodo axis of the Abakaliki/Enugu expressway on the 7th of this month, while traveling to Enugu State after their close of work. The two staff were attached to the Nkalagu office of the command and were traveling on transit with other passengers when they were kidnapped.
The Idodo axis of the Abakaliki-Enugu expressway, which used to be one of the safest highways in the south east zone, has suddenly become a safe haven for kidnappers with travellers and other road users kidnapped on a daily basis.
Some of the victims were killed by the kidnapers suspected to be herdsmen. A victim, Onyekachi Ani, told Daily Sun that he saw the two road safety officials in a thick forest where he and other victims were taken to by the kidnappers after their kidnap on that highway and that from the way they were looking, they were already dead.
He noted that there were many other victims in the thick forest and wondered why the kidnappers had not been flushed out. Another victim, a cleric who didn’t want his name in print said a cleric was beheaded in the thick forest by the kidnappers.
The state Commander of FRSC, Igwe Henry Nnabuike, confirmed the kidnap of the two officials. He said the two officials have not been seen since March 7, when they were kidnapped.
“I can actually confirm that two of our staff are missing. I got the report on March 8, that on March 7, the two staff finished their work at our Nkalagu office and were on transit to Enugu when they were kidnaped. Eventually, contact was established with their families and they confirmed that they never got home nor were they in the office, having left office after their work.
“Their families said some people contacted them and said they were kidnappers and demanded ransom and so on and so forth. At that time, it was between them and the kidnapers. And, of course, as an organisation, we did everything we could internally and escalated it. We contacted security agencies, relevant agencies and formally made our reports. We have been making efforts to see how we can locate them, but I can confirm that till now, we have not been able to see them and that’s the only thing we know now.
We cannot possibly establish they are dead or alive because the core security agencies said they are still making efforts and their families are also doing their own.
“As at the time we got in touch with the families, not much has been achieved. It’s actually taking longer and we are obviously scared, but we hope for the best. We just hope mother luck will shine on them. Motorists should be conscious enough that this situation has emerged, particularly at that segment of the road, and they need to drive with a lot of carefulness”.
