We Are Investigating Rivers Assembly Candidate’s Abduction – Police
The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of Chukwudi Ogbonna, the Accord Party candidate for Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area Constituency 2 in the Rivers State House of Assembly for the March 18 election.
Ogbonna was reportedly kidnapped while driving in his car at Rumuigbo, near Port Harcourt on Monday night when the gunmen forced him to stop and whisked him away with his car.
Ogbonna’s cousin’s brother, Ifeaka Nwakiri, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent via the telephone on Tuesday said the kidnap was politically motivated.
Nwakiri further said the miscreants had shot sporadically in the air, before the state assembly hopeful was whisked away to an unknown destination.
He stated, “That was around 8:25pm yesterday (Monday). He was double-crossed on his way to GRA for a meeting, I was told. This happened at Psychiatric Road in Rumuigbo. He was with someone in the car. The man came out and asked them what the matter was.
“They (kidnappers) started shooting in the air. So the man scampered for safety. They now whisked my brother Engr Chukwudi Ogbonna away with his Mercedez Benz car.”
When asked if the captors had contacted his family since the incident, he said, ” I was told that they called his wife and told her that her husband is fine.”
Continuing, he said the matter was reported to the police at Kala Police Station, adding that the officers had assured him that they would get to work immediately.
He stated, “What we really want is for them to release him immediately, unconditionally and unhurt. He has not held any position in the state before. He is a hardworking man looking for his daily bread, until now that he decided to go for elective position.
“He is popular and the people are really behind him,” even as he advised against politics of bitterness he added, “people should go out, canvass for votes and once the people are with you, they will vote for you.”
“We are not in the stone age where people should be kidnaping, harassing others and all sort of things in the name of politics. As I speak to you, his media aides have fled because they have been threatening them and we don’t know who these faceless people are.
“This is not how politics should be played,” he added.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the state Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident.
Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police said, “Yes, the command is aware of the incident last night. We have begun Investigation to ensure his early release and to apprehend the suspects.”
