Posted by By Henry Chukwurah, Port Harcourt on
A former Provost of the College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Christian Anah, was Thursday night kidnapped by gunmen who invaded his residence on the outskirts of Port Harcourt.
• Apologise to Lulu-Briggs
A former Provost of the College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Christian Anah, was Thursday night kidnapped by gunmen who invaded his residence on the outskirts of Port Harcourt.
Ironically, the kidnap of the renowned Professor of Medicine occurred just as the abductors of the wife of PDP chieftain and business mogul, Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs set her free.
Prof Anah who had recently served a five-year contract with the University of Port Harcourt after his formal retirement from the same institution was abducted from his private residence at Rumuigbo near the state capital.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the incident that came few months after a former Vice Chancellor of the same university, Prof. Nimi Briggs, now chairman of the State Electoral Commission was kidnapped and later released.
Interestingly, Prof. Briggs was also a Provost of the university's College of Health Sciences.
Sources close to the Prof Onah's family hinted that the gunmen were yet to open negotiations with them.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Uniport, Dr. Willians Wodi, confirmed the kidnap and told Saturday Sun that frantic efforts were being made to trace the whereabouts of the kidnappers and their 71-years-old hostage
Meanwhile, Mrs. Lulu-Briggs' abductors have apologized for Wednesday's kidnap. In a statement issued by their spokesperson, Cynthia Whyte, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) comprising the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) and other major militant groups, said they 'with great shame in our hearts" regretted the incident.
The JRC stated that it was, 'renegade gunmen and outlawed units" of the council who, 'in a rare show of shame, attacked the residence of Chief Lulu-Briggs described as an honoured son of the Niger Delta, peacemaker, philanthropist and hardworker."
The umbrella body of the militants saw the incident as an act of the devil and appealed for forgiveness.
'It is evil to repay good with evil," the militant council stated.