Kidnappers Of NYSC Members Demand N100m Ransom …Police Assures Safe Release

Kidnappers of five members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Rivers are demanding a ransom of N100 million from family members.

Our correspondent learnt that the corps members, a female and four males, were kidnapped on Wednesday at Odomanya Community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers,on their way to inspect a school library project they constructed as their Community Development Service (CDS) of the NYSC.

Mr Ben Esan, the Public Relations Officer of the NYSC, told newsmen on Thursday in Port Harcourt that the abductors had already contacted parents of the victims and were demanding a ransom of N100 million.

Esan also said that the kidnappers equally spoke with the NYSC Liaison Officer in Ikwerre in Rivers and had made a similar demand.

It will be recalled that a similar incident occurred in Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers during the INEC voters’ registration that took place in January.

He said that the names of the abducted corps member’s were yet to be made public, but that they were members of 2011 batch ‘A’ and ‘B’.

Esan, who described the act as evil, said that the NYSC investigation team had been sent to the area to ascertain the circumstance surrounding the incident.

He, however, called on the state government, security agencies and members of the community to quickly intervene in order to free the victims and arrest the perpetrators.

Meanwhile a combined team of security agencies made up of the police and the army yesterday began searching for the abducted corps members.

The Rivers Commissioner of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the police, the State Security Service (SSS) and the army had started searching for the missing corps members.

“We (the security team) worked all through last night and we will continue the search until we rescue them. All hands are on deck and all efforts are on to rescue the corps members and arrest the culprits,” he said.

Abba urged the people to give the police useful information that would lead to the rescue of the corps members and arrest of the criminals.

“All our personnel are out on the field searching for the corps members and nothing must happen to them,” he said.

In a related development, Mr Gabriel Ibe, the Oyo State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has announced that the management of the corps will no longer post corps members to crisis prone areas in the country.

Ibe said each state coordinator had been directed by the management of the corps not to post any corps member to any crisis prone area in the country, adding that the directive would take effect with the next deployment of corps members on July 7.

He noted that the security and safety of lives of corps members had been the major challenge of the scheme in recent time, stressing that the Corps was taking appropriate steps to secure the lives and property of corps members posted to the state.

“Corps members have always been very helpful, and so, we must encourage and give them the opportunities to serve,’’ she said.

The Rivers State Police Command says it is working round the clock with other security agencies to secure the unconditional releases of the five members of the National Youth Service Corps abducted last Wednesday.

The Image maker of the state Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ben Ugwuegbulam who briefed newsmen on the incidents yesterday confirmed that contact has been established with the kidnappers and  that the victims were alive and in good condition.

The NYSC members were said to have gone to the secondary school where they did their compulsory one year service for their final clearance, preparatory to their passing out later this month.

The Tide gathered that the corps members were on their way back to Port Harcourt when they were suddenly double crossed and taken away to unknown destination.

Information made available to The Tide revealed that the five kidnapped NYSC members included four female and a male and that they were all in the same car driven by one of the female victims when the incident occurred.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the killing of two of its officers by unknown gunmen last Tuesday in Port Harcourt.

The police public Relations Officers, Rivers State Police Command, Mr Ben Ugwuegbulam who confirmed the killing of the police officers told journalists that the hoodlums who operated in a Hilux Van shot at the policemen at their duty post under the over-head bridge at Eliozu.

Mr Ugwuegbulam said the victims who are officers attached to a distress 003 patrol unit and deployed to Eliozu Division were on a legitimate visit to the flyover area where they unfortunately met their untimely death.

According to the Police (PPRO),one Inspector and corporal were killed during the attack, while the only survivor a constable sustained serious gunshot injuries on the stomach and was rushed to an undisclosed clinic for treatment.

The PPRO who spoke to journalist said the names of the slain policemen would be made known after the incident report has been officially disclosed to the bereaved families.

An eye witness who spoke with The Tide observed that there was no serious problem that warranted the shooting and killing of the police officers.

The PPRO reported that the rifles attached to the killed policemen were also carted away by the hoodlums.

According to the PPRO investigations is in top gear to track down the culprits and to recover their weapons.

Jermina Amachree

Rivers State Governor,Rt.Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (left) conducting Kanu Nwankwo round the new Games Village at the Greater Port Harcourt City, yesterday.