A
Director in the Cross River State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Bibiana Elemi-Edu,
was on Friday kidnapped by gunmen on Target Street in Calabar.
Elemi-Edu,
who is the President of Catholic Women Organisation of St. Bernard’s Catholic
Church in Calabar, was kidnapped at about 7pm on Friday when she went to visit
the reverend sister in charge of Good Samaritan Home.
She
was waiting for the gate of the home to be opened when the gunmen swooped on
her and dragged her out of her Sports Utility Vehicle into a waiting black
Volkswagens Golf.
An
electronic accessory hawker, Mercy Okon, who witnessed the incident, said there
was delay in opening the gate and suddenly some gunmen swooped on Elemi-Edu.
She
said, “She was waiting in her car when the kidnappers struck. They forced her
out of her SUV into their golf.”
A
revered sister in the home, who pleaded not to be identified, said when she
opened the gate, she found a vehicle without any occupant.
She
said some hawkers told her that kidnappers had abducted Elemi-Edu after they
dragged her into their car.
“The
boys selling items in the area saw when she was being abducted and tried to
stop the kidnappers, but they brought out guns and threatened to shoot them,”
she said.
Meanwhile,
a close family source said on Monday that the kidnappers had demanded N100m
from the family.
The
source, who noted that the negotiation had been reduced to N20m, added that the
family had insisted that they did not have any money.
“The
kidnappers initially demanded N100m ransom, but I learnt that it was later
reduced to N20m. Unfortunately, I do not know how the family can raise that
kind of money,” he said.
It
was gathered that the husband of the kidnapped victim, Mr. Elemi Edu, taught at
the state School of Health Technology along Mary Slessor Avenue in Calabar.
When
contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Jimoh Ozi-Obeh, said rescue
operation was ongoing to ensure the safe rescue of the victim.
“I
have dispatched a team to ensure her safe release,” he said.
Source:The
Punch
Tags
Society