The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has confirmed the kidnap of Elder Nyaknobong Etuk, a Director of Finance in Nsit Atai Local Government Area of the State.
The Tide’s source gathered that the victim was seized last Sunday night along with his wife, Deaconess Etuk, while returning home from shopping for their new born twins and family.
Elder Etuk and wife were said to have left the newborns with the housemaid for shopping along Oron Road in Uyo metropolis.
“On their return, Elder Etuk, Director of Finance, Nsit Atai Local Government Council of the State parked and blew the car horn for minutes, yet nobody quickly opened the gate for the couple.
“Suddenly, a mini-bus covered with tarpaulin to shield the identity of the occupants (armed gunmen) barricaded the car by the gate of his house at Akpasak Estate, Mbiabong off Oron Road, Uyo, and ordered them out of their car at gun point before whisking them away to an unknown destination,” a family source said.
The source further said that the kidnappers have not established any contact with the family since the couple’s abduction.
However, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), CSP Odiko MacDon, who confirmed the kidnap of the Finance Director who hailed from Oruk Anam LGA, said the Commissioner of Police (CP), Waheed Ayilara, has since mobilised operatives to rescue the couple and bring the perpetrators to justice.
‘‘We are aware of the kidnap incident of the Director of Finance and wife. The matter had been reported to us and the State Commissioner of Police, Waheed Ayilara, has directed the appropriate unit in the Police force to investigate the matter with a view to rescuing the kidnapped victims.
‘‘We are on top of the situation. In no distant time, the kidnappers would be arrested and brought to book. We are not leaving any stone unturned in an effort to secure lives and property of the Akwa Ibom people. Kidnapping is a crime that is short-lived, and I don’t know why people will kidnap others for ransom.
‘‘I can assure you that very soon, the victims would be rescued and be reunited with their family,’’ CSP MacDon assured.
Meanwhile, the police, in collaboration with other security agencies have rescued the Nsit Atai Chapter Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Abasiakan Eshiet, popularly known as Babs, Eshiet alongside two others, who were kidnapped at M-Lounge, Osongama in Uyo, the state capital.
Eshiet and other victims, it was learnt, were watching soccer tournament between Nigeria vs Cameroon during the 2023 AFCON Round 16, when their suspected abductors struck and kept in their custody before their recent rescue by the Joint Task Force (JTF).