No word has been heard about the whereabouts of Mr. Simon Nwankwo, father of the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Chukwuma Soludo, who was kidnapped on Tuesday night. However, last night, the kidnappers of the 78-year old man broke their silence.

They are demanding the sum of N500 billion as ransom before they would release the father of the putative candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2010 Anambra Sate governorship election. A senior police officer of the Anambra State command of the Nigerian police who does not want his name in print, confirmed the report of the ransom demand. He, however, said the command had not been officially notified.

Mr.Nwankwo, was kidnapped in his hometown of Isuofia in Aguata local government Area on Tuesday by a six-man gang who came in a Peugeot 406 saloon car.

Chris Uba invited

The spokesperson of the Anambra State police command, Emeka Chukwuemeka, also confirmed to NEXT that the command had issued an invitation to Chris Uba, a leader of the PDP in Anambra state to report to the command today.

Mr Chukwuemka declined comments on whether the invitation was connected to the kidnap of Mr Soludo’s father. “We invited him because of the political meeting he (Chris Uba) convened in the state capital yesterday,” he said. Sources, however, told NEXT that the invitation was on the directive of the Inspector general of Police, Ogbonnaya Onovo.

In an earlier phone conversation with NEXT, Mr Chukwuemeka said the command was yet to establish any contact with the kidnappers. He, however said that he believed that with the intense efforts being put into the search, Mr Soludo might soon be rescued.

“The command is doing its best to establish a lead, and the command has not found any,” he said. “This command has been doing everything humanly possible to establish contact with the kidnappers, but up till now, no information yet. That does not mean that even now or soon, we cannot re-establish contact with the kidnappers or rescue the man.”

Whiff of politics

But the Southeast Zone of the Nigeria Renewal Group (NRG) has accused the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party of being responsible for the kidnap.

A statement by the group’s chairman, Ejiamatu Chikwado, said the kidnap was politically motivated.

“The national leadership of the PDP ,since the Colonel Ahmadu Ali days, should be held responsible for acts of terrorism like this one because it has always rewarded its favoured members who brazenly indulge in all manner of criminal acts, even against fellow party members,” he said.

“The kidnapping of the PDP candidate’s father, apparently by his own party men, is what would always happen in a country where crime is rewarded, instead of being punished. Nigeria is not yet a country governed by the rule of law, but by the rule of men.” Chris Ngige, a former governor of the state was abducted on July 10 2003. But the group said this was equally done by his political opponents, whom it said were not punished.

“The abductors were thus encouraged to do more dastardly things, like the burning of such state institutions as the House of Assembly, the legislators’ quarters, Government House, the state judicial headquarters, broadcasting stations and others in November, 2004, for a whole two days in broad daylight,” the group said.