By Elizabeth Chukwuma
For years, Kidnappers operating in the south east of Imo, home state of Rochas Okrocha, a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria had taken advantage of the state, sharing boundary with the oil Rivers state, along the Omerelu Community in the Ikwerre Local government Area of the state to take over the Port –Harcourt Owrri road carry out their kidnap, operations, even in the surounding villages and escape into the thick forest unhurt.
Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state and Rotimi Amaechi, a two term governor of the state and now minister of Transport hails from the the Local government Area.
Aware that the Port Harcourt / Elele /Omerelu, road , as well as the Ubima /Omerelu road in the Ikwerre Local government Area has become a den for the Kidnappers, on a daily basis, as motorists and passengers including villagers are abducted and taken hostage in the forest may have forced Joseph Mukan, the state Commissioner of Police to initiate measures to tighten up security on the flash point major roads between Rivers and Imo, home state of Rochas Okrocha, a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
A combined Team of Police men on search and rescue and soldiers were said to have mounted roadblocks on the flashpoint roads between the two neighbouring states. They were said to have made eight arrests along the notorious Port Harcourt /owerri road in the recent time. The latest was the arrest of the of the abductor of one Mrs. Chizoba Eke,who was declared allegedly missing in Rivers state.
Mrs. Eke’s ,case, may have become a national issue because of the circumstances surrounding her kidnap and how she was rescued from a well by the police after three days. People may have known about the Omoduku kidnap incident when, Eke, the husband of the victim raised alarm when he could not find his wife along with his six-month-old baby when he returned from work.
He was very uncomfortable when he could not get a clue about their whereabouts despite getting in contact with close neighbours and relations.
Eke, who was said to be losing control of himself was said to have also reached out to Clinton Orie, the Pastor of the Assemblies of God Church where she worships to ascertain if she came to the Church for a programme or given assignment outside the village .
Worried that the victim may have been kidnapped because of the notoriety of Port/Harcourt Omerelu road,the officiating Pastor of the Assemblies of God Church at was said to have declared a week Fasting and Prayer for Almighty God intervention to save her life and that of her six month-old baby.
Desperate to re-unite with lost wife and his the six month –old baby , he was said to have reported to the Igwuruta Divisional police station in Rivers state about his missing wife and child.
The DPO at the Igwuruta Police station was said to have sent a signal to the state Police Command about the missing woman and her six-moth-old baby. This may have informed why the search and rescue officers intensified their search on vehicles along the Port Harcour/ omerelu / Owerri road in order to apprehend the suspect was believed to have entered the road with the victim’s baby.
The villagers were said to have also set up a search party for the missing woman and her six-month –old baby. The local kidnapper may have known that the game is up as he had tried to escape with the baby having overpowered the woman and thrown her inside a well in an uncompleted building at Igwuruta in Ikwerre Local government.
But Luck may have run out of the suspect when he was intercepted with the victim’s baby by a Team of policemen on search and rescue operation at Omerelu, boundary town between two states.
Many believe that the suspect may have separated the baby from the mother because he has an ulterior motive but met his waterlo on the road. Appreciative Nigerians have given kudo, to Mohammed Adamu, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, for restoring people’s confidence in the police by ensuring that his men along the PortHarcourt/Elele/ Omerelu/ Oerri road arrested the suspect.
The suspect who is currently in police Custody at the Rivers state Police Command, Port Harcourt, according to security sources is undergoing interrogation to unravel the truth about the Kidnap incident
.The good news was that the victim had been discovered and rescued from the Igwuruta uncompleted building well where she had been thrown into by the abductor in order to die, which may have killed every available evidence against him if caught and dragged to Court.
She was said to have been rescued alive after three days of being inside the well without food and water . Orie, the Officiating Pastor of the Assemblies of God Church, Omoduku, believes that ‘’it is the grace of the Almighty God that kept the woman alive for the three days inside the well’’.
The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, at the Igwuruta Police station was said to have taken up the responsibility of taking her immediately to the Hospital after she was brought out from the well for Treatment without awaiting for any member of the family to show up. This may have be informed because of the severe bruises on her head , face and other parts of the body. That much was confirmed by Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police and Spokesperson of the Rivers state Police Command.
Perhaps, to ensure that Eke was truly the father of the rescued child, having lodged Complaint at the Iguruta Police Station about his missing wife and child, he was said to have been invited last Friday, to identify the child . He was said to have honoured the invitation at the Igwuruta Police station where he was briefly interrogated. yewitness account said he had identified his own child which facilitated the release of the baby to him.
He may have been emboldened to speak out about the person he believes that master-minded the kidnap incident because of the tight security at the police station. Eke , the victim’s husband, who could not hide his feelings was said to have told the Investigating Police officer that the suspect, one Chinedu, who lives in the same Area, is known to him .
He disclosed that on several occasions , the alleged abductor of the wife and his six-month-old baby had made attempts ‘’to rape her when, she was Pregnant, fueling speculations that there must have been something connecting the duo which remain a closely guided secret.
A A security expert who spoke to the Value News believes that the suspect may have resorted to cover up his atrocities in the family by throwing the victim inside well in order to die . Given an insider information on how she fell victims to the Kidnapper antics, she disclosed that he had come to their house,” claiming that her husband wanted her to come to his house to collect some money”.
The question on the lips of most people was: what was the relationship between Eke, the husband of the victim and Chinedu, the Kidnapper, that could have warranted him to send him on errand to the wife instead of calling her on phone to give her whatever message he may have wanted pass on to her regarding the suspect coming to the house?.
This is an indication that suspect may have been using such tricks in the past to penetrate the woman, which may have resulted in the plot to kidnap her without the information leaking out.
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