Corporate Kidnapping/Extortion Surface In Abia State

Abia State was once noted as the kidnap heaven of the South East until the Federal government waded in and dislodged the nefarious activities of the group..Areas like Osisioma ,Ngwa were no go area in the early days of Governor T A Orji’s reign.

Women were raped at will while people including children were kidnapped for a ransom..The whole activities of the groups came to the fore when some journalists on their way back from a convention in the South South part of the country were kidnapped. That singular incident seemed to be the last straw that eventually break the camel’s back.

This led to the arrest and killing of so many of the kidnappers and their kingpins.

While Abia has known relative peace since the dis-lodgement, report reaching CKN Nigeria from a lot of Abia indigenes who sent us a Save Our Soul appeal has it that another form of kidnapping has resurfaced in the State with due protection of the law enforcement agents.

CKN Nigeria investigation has shown that the groups come under the disguise of Environmental Sanitation officials.

Their modus operandi is the same, they pick and kidnap innocent people in broad day light, force them to pay huge ransom to be released or sent to prison.

Those who could afford it were allowed to go home while those who couldn’t were quickly sent to jails, where their hair were shaved and given prison uniforms.

So many innocent souls as we learnt are now languishing in make shift prisons across the State especially in Aba .

The amount demanded ranges from N15, 000-N50, 000.

A victim told CKN Nigeria that he was on his way to his shop at popular Ariaria market when he was accosted and bundled into a van filled up with other victims.

His attempt to ask questions was met with slaps and beating. He was driven to a point where he was asked to bail himself. He was asked to call a relation to come and bail him..When he told them he didn't have credit on his phone, they gave him a N100 recharge card to load in order to make the call..He was released after he paid the money with no receipt.

Another woman said she was on a visit to a relation on Faulks road Aba when the people stormed the house of her host and marched everybody into a waiting vehicle under the pretence that they were working for the government as environmental sanitation agents. Her pleas that she came for a short visit fell on deaf ear..Money was extorted from them before they were released,

All attempt to speak with any official of the State government met a brick wall while the Police spokesman was not reachable as at the time of our going to press,