By Our Reporter
The publicity secretary of the people’s Democratic party, PDP in Ebonyi state, Chika Nwoba Chika has been kidnapped. According to an eyewitness account by the Deputy Chairman of the party in the state, Bar. Ifeanyi Nworie, the incident occurred yesterday, Sunday along Abakaliki/Enugu high way. Nworie stated in his account made available to the press that the kidnappers double crossed the vehicle in which he was driving along side Nwoba, shooting sporadically on the air and pulled Nwoba in the process into the trunk of a Sienna bus while beating him severely. However, the prompt arrival of the anti kidnapping unit of the Police prevented the kidnappers from taking Nwoba away, Nworie stated. Meanwhile, the chairman of the party in the state, Tochuku Okorie, later in a release stated that the kidnappers were actually the militant wing of the All Progressives Congress, APC, under the control of the state government. According to the chairman in his statement, Nwoba the publicity secretary must have been targeted because of his earlier exposure of the activities of the dreaded group terrorizing the people of the state. He noted that Nwoba once published a picture of the group wielding Ak47 weapons and this he said incensed the gang to hunt him had earlier tortured and forced him to making a false statement saying that he is the one who supplied them the weapons.
Ironically, Okorie wondered why the police willingly let the kidnappers go this time instead detained the victim, refusing to allow him go even with the badly inflicted injuries on him. Efforts to speak with the commissioner of police or even allow him access to the victim since yesterday have been rebuffed by the police, Okorie lamented. He therefore calls on the Inspector General of Police and Attorney General of the federation to intervene in the interests of peace and order.
His words;
“At about 1300hrs this afternoon the state publicity Secretary of PDP Nwoba Chika Nwoba was abducted by gang of criminals along Abakaliki/Enugu road,and was thrown into the trunk of the sienna bus the abductors used.
Mr Nwoba was riding in the company of the party deputy chairman barrister Ifeanyi Nworie who courageously resisted the kidnappers from taken away Nwoba in their vehicle.
Barr. Nworie now put a call across the O/C anti kidnapping unit of Ebonyi police who promptly sent a team.
The abductors were intercepted and Nwoba was subsequently rescued from the abductors by the anti kidnapping unit of the Ebonyi police command. So far Mr Nwoba has been taken into custody by the police.
It is unfortunate that rather than arresting the abductors who they met onground they took Nwoba into their custody and allowed the abductors to go.
Upon enquiry we were informed that those where gang of criminal elements employed by Gov. David Umahi Nweze a group of terrorists code named Ebubeagu, that it was on the institution of the governor that they were let off the hook and Mr Nwoba who was the victim has now become the accused in this circumstances.
I want to take the opportunity to tell Nigerians and the world that Umahi has turned Ebonyi state into a war zone, turned the state into a terrorists infested area, from day to day this gang of marauder kidnapped, maim and kill the innocent citizens of the state.
They have turned the old government house and Ebonyi Hotels into their torchure Chambers were they carry their victims to either torchure,maim or kill them and the state government does absolutely nothing.
The case of Chika Nwoba is a sad one, so sad that the police said they have instructions not to allow anybody to see Chika Nwoba even the PDP state Chairman,I was their in person and was not allowed to see Nwoba untill I left. I was there for over one hour and I was not allowed to see Chika Nwoba who they rescued apparently kidnappers.
Why is the police still keeping Chika Nwoba, is Chika now a suspect, what is he being accused of?
I want the world to know that the People’s Democratic Party in Ebonyi state has become an endangered species. The governor has armed the so called Ebubeagu gang of terrorists with all kind of dangerous weapon including but not to AK47 and even grenade lunchers which they openly parade.
Chika Nwoba had actually published a photograph of an operative of Ebubeagu in uniform holding AK47. They quickly rushed and got hold of this guy, torchured him in their torchure Chambers Ebonyi Hotels and made him make confessions that are totally reprehensible and untrue, that it was Chika Nwoba that put uniform on him,gave AK47 and such redicules accusations . And since that time the have been hounding Nwoba that made him go into hiding untill today when they finally got him. It is thanks to God that Nwoba was riding with the state PDP deputy chairman when they got him otherwise who knows what would have become of him by now?
We call the Attorney General of the federation Mr Abubakar Malami to take judicial notice of what is happening in Ebonyi state, we call on the National Security Adviser Mr Mongono to take judicial notice of what is happening in Ebonyi state, we call on the Inspection General of Police to take judicial notice of what is happening in Ebonyi state. From day to day plethora of cases of abuse of office and abuse of power by the governor has been recorded. He has misused the so called Ebubeagu who he has been using to intimidate, abduct and deal with people the way he wants.
We want to warn that no individual has Monopoly of violence,we are being pushed to the wall, the PDP in Ebonyi state is a peace loving Democratic organization, but we are being pushed to the point where we will have to resist the evil that is being perpetrated in the state. How can the state government be an enabler of terrorism in the state, how can the state government sponsor terrorism in the state and the rest of the country are just idly watching helplessly untill everyone of us in the state is killed?
No one is safe under the administration of David Umahi, and the President Mr Muhammadu has to immediately rise to the occasion by calling David Umahi to order, the Constitution of Nigeria recorgnizes only one police force,the Nigerian Police force. David Umahi cannot legally constitute a state police under the Constitution, he cannot form a state police on his own, an illegal organization being armed, used to harass People, to harass the oppositions in the state.
And that is why this evening we are making this press statement so that the world will know that nobody is safe in Ebonyi unless you belong to APC.
When I called the Commissioner of police in Ebonyi state he said was not around that I should give him till tomorrow when he is back.but I know it is a gimmick to have Nwoba charched to a kangaroo court and have remanded.