Father of kidnapped girl threatens Abia governor

JUDE OPARA, Abuja


After his nine-year-old daughter spent 10 days in captivity before regaining her freedom last Wednesday, a retired Naval officer has threatened to sue the Abia State Governor Theodore Orji, for allegedly failing to rescue the young girl and other victims of kidnappings in the state.

Navy Capt. Jerry Ogbonna (rtd), also condemned the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) for failure to curb kidnapping and hostage taking in the country.

Ogbonna, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance [APGA], in the 2007 general elections in Abia State, in a press conference in Abuja last Friday, said that he parted with the sum of N500,000 as ransom to the kidnappers before his daughter, Rebecca regained her freedom.

"The government of Abia State did absolutely nothing, may be because they think l am an opposition person in their state so l might as well suffer it. They did absolutely nothing. From the time the thing was made public l went to Broadcasting Corporation of Abia (BCA) and they were not interested to broadcast it. It was only, because l met somebody who was in school with me, that they were able to broadcast it minimally’’ he said.

Ogbonna claimed that after three of such announcements, the station was ordered to stop. He added that no state functionary came to enquire about his child’s ordeal from him.

"Nobody came to me, no commissioner, no government functionary came to me, nobody asked any question. it was like everybody folded their hands .It was only me and my God. There is nothing Abia State Government is doing, yet this is happening within their territory’’ he said.

On the non-chalant attitude of the police in the matter, Ogbonna said the police was confused and lacks knowledge of what to do, adding that the equipment is not there for them to operate.

"I was in the military. I know that the police this day lack knowledge and have poor training because l do not see how a police force can be working, trying to find these but do not have a map. The people are in the bush. The real guys, who are doing this thing are in the bush.’’

"The police have no map. You just tell them and they will say okay. It must be in this hotel. It must be that hotel. They keep wasting time. This girl has to stay in that place for 10 days because the police doesn’t know what to do. They cannot go to the bush, because they are afraid,’’ he said.

Narrating her ordeal to journalists, little Chinenye who is a primary school pupil in Roda Lane Primary School, Woodfort Green Essex, London, and was in Nigeria for the first time to attend the wedding of her elder sister before she was kidnapped on April 6, said that the kidnappers, numbering between 8 and 15, took her to several locations in the forest, where they have tents and military weapons.



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