By 
Mrs. Nkechinyere Onachukwu, kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be herders at her farm in Amaonye community in Ishiagu, Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State last week, has been released by her abductors.
Mrs Onachukwu was released on Monday following a manhunt by security agencies in conjunction with the council security led by the LG chairman, Emmanuel Ajah.
Mr. Ajah, who confirmed the release of the woman to journalists, Tuesday in Abakaliki, narrated that the council had to bring in security trackers from outside the state to track the kidnappers’ movement.
“When security agents we deployed to track them were closing in on them they were forced to release her,” the chairman said.
He noted that security agencies were still on the trail of the kidnappers with a view to arresting them.
He said the few kidnapping incidents recorded waeres as a result of herdsmen who cross the border from Abia state to grab women in their farms and run back across the border.
In his words: “Before I came on board, places like Ojukwu bus stop were like a death trap. Nobody could move around that area But we mounted surveillance teams in that area and other flash points.
“We continue to work with security agencies and our local vigilante to ensure we maintain security in the area. Our people can now sleep with their eyes closed.”
He, however, lamented that the cost of maintaining security in the area has risen astronomically due to the high cost of petrol used in fuelling the patrol vehicles daily.
Recounting her ordeal, the victim, Mrs Onachukwu said “I was in my farm harvesting cassava when I heard a whisper, I turned and saw many men from all directions coming at me. I tried to run but they caught up with me and took me hostage.
“As I started to shout for help they started flogging me with their machetes and asking me to keep quiet. They dragged me into the bush.
“From there we trekked through bushes through the night until we got to a place where they brought out a mat for us to lie down and sleep”
“The next day we continued till we got to their camp where they had make-shift huts. There, they called their boss who understood Pidgin English. The rest were speaking their language,” she said.
“Their boss came and I started begging him to let me go but he said no that they will deal with me, that Ishiagu people are wicked.”
“He brought a phone and asked me to call anybody I know, so I called my husband and told him what happened. And from there they started negotiations,” she narrated. (Blueprint)
Comments