Posted by From Shola O'Neil, Warri on
Security agents in the Niger Delta met yesterday in Warri, Delta State over the fate of the abducted lecturer of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, Prof. Kuta Efekaurhobo.
Security agents in the Niger Delta met yesterday in Warri, Delta State over the fate of the abducted lecturer of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Port Harcourt, Prof. Kuta Efekaurhobo.
He was abducted during his daughter's marriage at Oginibo, Ughelli South Local Government Area by gunmen, who allegedly trailed him from his Port Harcourt home.
The meeting, co-ordinated by the Joint Task Force (JTF), "Operation Restore Hope", was held against the backdrop of a demand for N50 million ransom, purportedly by his abductors.
The octogenarian father of the professor was contacted by telephone on Tuesday evening by his abductors who demanded the ransom to facilitate his release.
The Chemistry professor was taken hostage by a four-man gang suspected to be militants.
They stormed his home in a red Volkswagen Passat car with registration number EDO 931 UBJ.
The hoodlums, who bundled him into a waiting speedboat at the Oginibo waterside, set the vehicle on fire before they retreated into the creek.
JTF's Joint Media Campaign Co-ordinator, Lt.-Col. Rabe Abubakar, described the development as strange, saying it was the handiwork of some miscreants.
Lt.-Col. Abubakar said all the security agencies in the region have been placed on red alert with a view to securing Efekaurhobo's release.
He said: "The Joint Task Force (JTF) ‘Operation Restore Hope' and other security agencies have condemned this new trend in criminalities in the Niger Delta and have swung into action in conjunction with other stakeholders to ensure that the victim is released without further delay."
But tension is growing between Efekaurhobo's kinsmen and the Ijaw, who the former fingered for his kidnap.
Some Urhobo youths are planning a peaceful protest to press for Efekaurhobo's release.