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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
The 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate in Imo State, Senator Athan Nneji Achonu, has condemned the abduction of Ngozi Ogbu, a former legislator from Imo State.
Ogbu was kidnapped in Okigwe at a time when his late mother’s body lies in the mortuary awaiting burial.
The senator described the incident as “a direct assault on Igbo values, culture, and humanity” and called for Ogbu’s immediate release.
In a statement by his media office, Achonu stated, “No true Biafran should ever resort to kidnapping or punishing fellow Igbos who have already suffered enough in this country.
“Any son of Igbo land who engages in kidnapping and robbery brings shame to his family and community, and must be exposed and rejected because that is not who we are.”
He appealed to those holding Ogbu, stressing the emotional weight of the situation.
He said: “I appeal directly to those holding Hon Ngozi Ogbu — whose aged mother lies in the mortuary awaiting burial — to release him immediately and allow him the dignity of laying her to rest.”
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He also challenged the logic of targeting innocent citizens instead of engaging the government through legitimate means.
“If there are grievances against government, let them be channelled to the appropriate authorities, not by tormenting innocent people. And what government are we even referring to?
“A government whose leaders live and work from Abuja, only to disappear to London, Paris, or wherever they can wave at the President? Is this what our society has become?,” he said.
He further decried what he described as a breakdown of moral values and cultural respect.
“Have we truly lost respect for motherhood, for the dead, and for our ancestors? In the name of God Almighty and the spirits of our forefathers, I plead: let Hon Ngozi Ogbu go home to his family and to bury his mother.”
He called for a comprehensive security overhaul in Imo State, stressing that unless deliberate action was taken to strengthen local intelligence networks, empower community policing, and hold public officials accountable, “the cycle of bloodshed, fear, and criminality will only worsen.
“The time has come to move beyond empty rhetoric. Our people deserve safety, dignity, and peace. I call on both the Federal and State Governments, as well as our traditional institutions, to work together in building a security architecture that protects ordinary citizens,” he said.
