A man identified as Kenneth Abang has been kidnapped along Calabar-Biase Highway while travelling for his father’s burial.
CONVERSEER gathered that Abang who is an aide to Hon. Chris Agibe, Member Representing Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency, was kidnapped on Monday, January 30, 2023, at Betem community in the Biase Local Government Area of the state.
According to sources, Abang was kidnapped alongside his relative, Eunice Abang while travelling to their father’s burial in the Boki Local Government Area of the state.
The burial was to hold on February 3 and 4 respectively at the Okundi community of the LGA.
CONVERSEER further gathered that several other abduction attempts took place in the area that same day. One of those who escaped the abduction, Egoh Ayamba, said one person was shot but receiving treatment in the hospital.
“I filled my tank with petrol worth N23,000 as I made to travel to Ogoja for the funeral of my friend, Paschal Nku’s mom.
“Luckily, I narrowly missed the bad guys at Iwuru, Biase who shot at the cars we left Ogoja with (I stopped to buy foodstuffs and they left me behind, which was my saving grace), and injured one of my guys as he sustained gunshot wounds. Thankfully, he is responding to treatment but their cars were badly damaged from the gunshots”, Ayamba said.
Another, Adi Whyte said after the kidnappings, they were quickly warned by motorcyclists between Ehom and Betem in Biase.
“We were quickly warned by some motorcyclists coming from the direction while we were heading towards the spot from Calabar. We had to pull over and prime other vehicles coming behind us to pull over. In fact, all of us had to turn and we started heading back towards Calabar. We were told it was robbery, and considering that we were less than 60 metres from the point of incidence, we feared that the robbers could advance towards us.
“Before long, the cars that had stopped became over 20, including trucks and one Hilux Van with a government registration number plate.
“We waited for about 30 minutes until we could see cars coming from Ikom. At that point, all of us headed through. It was when we got to the spot that we heard and observed that they were kidnappers. A Honda Accord was packed by the roadside with all 4 doors swung open. All those in the car had been taken into the bush. We are not sure about the number of those kidnapped”, Adi said.
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Adi further alleged that while the kidnapping was ongoing, the Nigeria Police officers were busy extorting motorists along the same highway.
“What is ironic in all of this is that there are about 7 police points in the initial area between Uyanga and Okomita, where kidnappings of road users took place. All the police officers are doing now is extorting drivers. Our driver was told to give them N200 which he refused, hence we were held there for about 20 minutes. He told them that he gave them N100 while en route to Calabar and would not give them a dime any longer for today. In the end, one of them wrote down his registration number from the plate at the back and threaten that what my driver would see would be more that the N200.
“Now the point is, out of the 7 checkpoints, 4 of them have vehicles. Would it not have been more ideal if they took turns to do patrol along the highway up to Adim? In that way, the hoodlums would stay away from the highways. But no, they have changed their purpose for being there and resorted to extortion”, Adi lamented.
Confirming the sad incident, SP Irene Ugbo, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO in Cross River State said efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims.
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