Why We Haven’t Been Able To Rescue Siasia’s Mother

The police in Bayelsa State have lamented the difficulties they have faced in their efforts to rescue the abducted mother of former coach, Samson Siasia.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Uche Anozia, said this on Friday while giving an update on the investigation into the attempts to rescue, abducted Mrs. Beauty Ogere Siasia.

He told journalists in his office at the police headquarters in Yenagoa that the impediment bordered on the “changing of locations” of the bandits.

The 80-year-old Madam Siasia has spent 62 days in her abductors’ custody.

Heavily armed gunmen invaded her Odoni country home in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and took her away on July 15, 2019.

It was the second time in four years the octogenarian would be whisked away from her sleepy community by a gang of armed men.

She was abducted in November 2015 by a gang of gunmen who released her after she spent 12 days in their custody.

Three days after the latest incident, the gunmen reportedly contacted the Siasia family and demanded the sum of N70million as ransom.

But on July 30, they reduced the ransom from N70million to N50million despite pleas by Siasia that he was jobless and that they should release his mother on unconditionally.

The PUNCH had reported on Monday that clues about efforts to rescue Madam Siasia’s had remained vague several weeks after the reports of initial contacts between the kidnappers and the Siasia family.

Anozia explained that the police operatives had shortly after her abduction “sourced for useful information that gave investigators a promising lead to some locations within the creeks where the victim may have been kept.”

The CP said, “The police have been trailing the abductors in spite of the fact that they have been changing locations.

“The fundamental aspect of our operations that is of interest to us is the achievement of positive result and not actually occasional dissemination of information concerning efforts being made by the police to achieve such result. This is why we have not been coming on air to update the public.”
Anozia, however, said the police command’s technical team was working in collaboration with other security agencies to rescue Madam Siasia.