A 55-year-old woman identified as Mrs. Adioyili Agidi, has been reportedly kidnapped by a group of armed youths, suspected to be kidnappers who invaded her residence in Opume, Ogbia Local Government Area in Bayelsa State.
According to Punch, the gunmen struck at about 9a.m on Sunday. They were said to have come in a speedboat, shot sporadically into the air to scare their victim’s neighbours before taking her away.
Reports also reveal that Opume is the community of Amalate Turner, a prominent political leader and close ally of former President, Goodluck Jonathan.
The Chairman of Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Ogbia clan, Mr. Osaanya B. Osaanya, while confirming the incident, reportedly asked the abductors to release the woman with immediate effect, urging security agencies to check incidence of kidnappings in the council which he described as “one too many.”
Osaanya said, “We are sending a strong message to community leaders, especially in Opume, to be vigilant. We have noticed that each time a prominent chief visits the community; there will be a kidnap case. Ijaw youths in the council under my leadership will assist security agencies to ensure that the woman is released.”
Similarly, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 5, AIG in charge of Edo, Delta and Bayelsa states, Mr. Musa Daura, spoke against the backdrop of reported cases of abduction in the state, including the recent kidnapping of Mrs. Agidi.
He however, sought community cooperation as part of the strategies to tackle rising cases of kidnappings in Bayelsa State.
Daura also added that the police were taking measures to check kidnapping and other criminal activities in the state.
He said, “The police are not magicians, so they rely on information from communities, especially coastal settlements to effectively contain the menace.”
The AIG, who visited some police formations in Yenagoa and held a meeting with members of the Police Community Relations Committee, said the police would crack any criminal case if they got information in good time. He appealed to members of the public to freely contact the police whenever they noticed strange faces in their domains.
“The state has 70 per cent water and 30 per cent land. So, it is not possible for anybody to come from outside and kidnap in Bayelsa. For the past one month or so, it was only recently l got a report of a robbery incident in Bayelsa,” Daura noted.
“That is one of the reasons that we have partnership with the people. If you notice any strange happening within your domain, report to the nearest police station. We are doing everything possible to make sure we stop kidnapping in the state.
“It is unfortunate that we have these cases of kidnapping. Apparently, there is nowhere in the world where you won’t experience such things,” the AIG stressed.
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