CAN Chairman’s Wife Escapes From Kidnappers

Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abia State, Bishop Goddy Okafor,  yesterday gave a graphic account of how his wife was abducted by hoodlums and her escape by a stroke of luck.

Okafor told newsmen that his wife, Patience, was kidnapped a week ago by four armed men close to their residence in Aba.

He said his wife, also a pastor, was going to a branch of their church to preach when the hoodlums blocked her car and dragged her into the boot of a waiting vehicle.

“ As luck will have it, she saw an arrow in the boot lock, opened it and with determination, jumped out while the boot closed back without the abductors knowing,’’ Okafor said.

He said two good Samaritans saw her when she jumped out of the moving vehicle and brought her to their church.

The cleric said his wife was now recovering from the injuries she sustained while jumping out of the moving vehicle, adding that her car had also been recovered.

Okafor, who commended security operatives in the state for the decrease in cases of kidnapping and other crimes, however, expressed fears that hoodlums may be returning to the state.

“ With the kidnapping of my wife and other such incidents in the area, I think the hoodlums are back.

“Security operatives should know that the battle is not over; the bad boys are still around.

“It is obvious that they are still around because some weeks ago, we were told that one of our friends was also kidnapped,’’ he said.

He condemned what he called “ insensitivity’’ of some residents to the plight of the kidnapped, saying some people do not respond promptly to distress calls.

Okafor recalled that his wife had cried for help while the car was between the Nigeria Breweries and Aba Textile Mills, adding that those who were around the area did not respond.

He urged residents of the state to report any strange movement or persons within their environs, saying this would assist the police.

“I thank God my wife escaped, but at the same time I feel very bad about it,’’ he added.

District Governor, Rotary International 9140, Sir Gabriel Toby (standing), President, Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, GRA, Prof Wilson Bellgam (left) and a female Rotarian during the one year anniversary celebration of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, GRA in Port Harcourt, last Thursday