From: OKEY SAMPSON, Aba
Until soldiers were deployed to Abia state on September 30, 2010, Aba, the commercial hub of the state was the den of kidnappers. The city became the unofficial headquarters of kidnapping because a dreaded kidnap kingpin at the time, Obioma Nwankwo a.k.a Osisikankwu, hailed from and operated in the zone. Travelling to Aba was like going to Golgotha while Osisikankwu reigned because apart from the spate of kidnapping, women were raped in most the brazen manner and in many cases, in the presence of family members.
Somehow, the state government seemed helpless. Thanks to the arrival of soldiers, Aba now enjoys relative peace. But unfortunately, Abiriba community in Ohafia Local Government Area of the state has acquired the ugly tag dumped by Aba. Suspected kidnappers dislodged from the commercial city appear to have found a new haven in the community popularly known in the state as “small London.” In the past few months, no fewer than 10 persons had either been killed or abducted by the rampaging kidnappers.
In a particular case, a 79-year-old woman, Mrs Martha Oyediya Kalu of Ndi Okocha Ogbu, Amaogudu, who was kidnapped in August 2012, was yet to be set free as at the time of this report and five months after her son paid ransom to her abductors. It is the first time kidnappers would renege on their promise to release a victim after relations had paid the demanded ransom in the State.
The grandmother was kidnapped from the residence of her son, Kalu Gabriel Eke, at Agba Ogbu, Amaogudu in Abiriba on August 10, 2012 at about 2am by a five-man gang. Due to the heavy iron security protector at the main entrance to the building, it was difficult for the hoodlums to have access to the house. However, the kidnappers reportedly gained entry into the inner rooms when they broke the ceiling from outside, climbed into the old woman’s room and took her away.
It was gathered that shortly after the incident, her abductors contacted the septuagenarian’s son who promptly paid the ransom with the hope she would be released immediately as promised by the hoodlums. But five months after the kidnappers confirmed the receipt of the ransom, they neither released the woman nor contacted her family. A similar thing happened somewhere in Obingwa local government area where an elderly woman was kidnapped and after payment of the ransom, she died in the hands of her abductors and her corpse was dumped near a bush path.
However, Mrs Kalu’s case is different. Her abductors had collected the ransom but they have refused to set her free – dead or alive. The questions on the lips of many are: Why would the kidnappers not release their victim months after family members had paid the ransom placed on her? Could it be that the amount paid was not enough to secure her release or has the woman died and her body dumped somewhere? Could it be that somebody who has scores to settle with the woman’s son decided to kidnap and put the elderly woman out of circulation without trace? Did the kidnappers decide to kill two birds with one stone – abduct the woman, collect ransom from her relations and kill her for ritual purposes as it is common in that part of the country? So many questions begging for answers!
A journalist with an Aba-based cable television and a relation, Mr Oji Ogba who spoke on behalf of the woman’s son, Eke, said the family had suspicions. “From the way the woman was abducted, we suspect there must be an insider in the whole game. Otherwise, why kidnap a 79- year-old woman and still keep her after ransom had been paid? What are they going to do with her? The family did not waste time in paying the amount the kidnappers demanded and the question of whether we paid a paltry sum does not arise because we never paid a dime less than they demanded. “After some days, agreement was reached with the abductors on the ransom to be paid; the relations immediately raised and sent the money in full to the kidnappers.
But to the family’s greatest surprise, the abductors refused to release our grandmother. Instead, they switched off all the phones they (kidnappers) used to communicate with us and now, we don’t know the woman’s fate,” he said. Ogba stated that moved by the incident, the traditional ruler of the community, Eze Kalu Ogbu, ordered the youths to search the entire adjoining bushes. That was done, yet no trace of the woman. In the same vein, both the Army and the Police have combed the forests in the area to no avail.
This has fueled the family’s fear that the abductors may have killed their mother. In his appeal to the kidnappers, Ogba said: “We (family members) want our grandmother to be released whether dead or alive.” As if these kidnappings including that of the mother of late Chief Dike Udensi (DUBIC) were not enough, the people of the community woke up on the morning of January 6, 2013, to an apparently bad new year gift. They discovered that a prominent son of the area, Prince Iroeke, and two of his security guards had been gruesomely murdered and two of his daughters abducted.
It was gathered that the hoodlums numbering about four, stormed Iroeke’s compound in Amamba area of the community, and killed two Bakassi Boys who were his bodyguards before gaining entry into the inner chambers of the house where they shot him dead. Thereafter, they abducted two of his daughters. The girls were later released after spending about five days in the kidnappers’ den but no ransom was paid. Iroeke was reported to have taken part in the last Ime Uche ceremony (retirement from active communal service) of the community held in December before he met his death.
Following the incident, a dusk-to- dawn curfew was imposed on the community and the major entrances cordoned off by security personnel while vehicles were not allowed in or out of the community before 6am and after 6pm. Palpable fear now pervades the entire community as some people who went home for the yuletide holiday hurriedly returned to their various bases. The three bodies have since been deposited in a mortuary in the area while police investigations are in progress. It was reported that some suspects including relations of the deceased have been arrested in connection with the incident.
For now, there are two versions to the attack. Some people suspect that the killers were on a revenge mission while others attribute it to assassination. There was an unconfirmed report that as Iroeke was travelling home for the last Christmas, he engaged the services of two Bakassi boys who went out of their way to arrest some perceived bad boys in the community. Nine of such boys were rounded up and handed over to an unnamed officer of the organization at Umuahia who later released four of them.
Sources alleged that the freed boys regrouped and launched the attack, believing that late Iroeke purposely brought in the Bakassi boys to deal with them. There was yet another version that Iroeke might have been a victim of the tussle for the headship of his extended family. When Sunday Sun reporter visited the community, a female relation of the deceased said she could only speak on the issue if their traditional ruler, Eze Ogbu, permitted her to do so.
To see if the necessary permission could be obtained, this reporter accompanied the lady to the palace of his royal highness, but the traditional ruler said his subjects would not speak to the press on the issue, which he said was still premature as not to impede police investigation. Some of the natives who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity urged the state government to do something urgently to arrest the security situation in Abiriba.
They said it was wrong for the government to boast that Abia was one of the most peaceful states in the country while one of her communities boils. When contacted on telephone, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO) said he was not aware of the incident because he was attending a conference in Abuja.
Abiriba, the once peaceful and great community have fallen to kidnappers. This is sad, bad and embarrassing.
Igbos should rethink this posting of northern commissioners of police to S.E states. the incidence of
kidnappings in Igbo land is now alarming and I believe
some body high up is sponsoring the bussiness.
Mr Goldspring, I think you have a big point there. Conspiracy of security agents with criminals has been the bane of fight against terrorism, kidnapping & communal clashes in Nigeria as many reports have shown. When those paid to make society safe & secure have transformed to become menace to the society themselves, then there can be no better way of describing a failed state. However, I just want to remind them that according to what Minister Labaran Maku said on TV yesterday, the blood of innocent Nigerians murdered in cold blood will be on head of our leaders if they fail to provide security to Nigerians.
Playing the Ostrich by blame others for a rampart misbehavior by your brothers instead of facing the facts. The last time Mikel Obi father was kidnapped in the north it was your Igbo brothers that were responsible.
NA..WAAA..OOOOOOH,KNOW WE’RE IS SAVE AGAIN IN SO CALL NIGERIA
wonders shall never end
Hmmmm they still ask us to come back to the hell fire call Nigeria….I don’t want to die young
London boy na waa for u ooo!ur english na pepe oo! Any way may God help us.the evil men do must live with them here and hereafter!
The IGBO Leaders should rise up and work with the SE governments to curb this embarrassing and devilish business of kidnapping of people for ransom.
It is very shameful to all IGBOS especially those ones in positions of authority in Nigeria that this kind of devilish business strives in their communities for some years without having lasting solution to it and it is high time they mobilised all resources against this inhuman business of kidnapping and killing people for sake of money making at all cost.
In 80′s we had the police iyama saga where armed bandits were aided by the polce.This abriba banditry matter if properly checked could be traced to the police and other security agency’s logistic assistance to the bandits simple.
From factional conflict to kidnaping,where are we heading to with all this situation?,one can no longer boast of once peacful and poison free community in the old Bende called Small London now a new haven to Kingpins may God help us
What kind of Republic will Biafra be? So far, the news from that quarter has not been encouraging.
,never involve biafra in evil that were happening in nigeria,
because in biafra all this evil will never happened
Goldspring God bless for saying the truth…The Problem with Kidnapping is traceable to Police corruption.Our enemies re using another means to distablise us..Can anybody Tell me what an Hausa man doing in igboland in the Name of being Commissioner of Police,These People re enemies and they re using the work of Police to perpetuate evil in igboland combined with some Bad corrupt eggs Among us..State Police is the Only Key to Fight this scorge,though our enemies will Not agree as Long Kidnapping is forcing us to live Outside..Shame on the Govs.and Leaders.
Chidi imo, dont 4get whom ur brodas r long b4 d northern commissioner of police arrived ur state. It is bcos ur brodas allowed d quest 2 becom rich at al cost get 2 their nerves nd blood thru lov of money (root of all evil), ritual killings, greed, envy, hatred etc dat brings disunity amongs d ibos nd d latest is kidnappin 4 ransom so tel me how can biafra hold in d midst of such, dnt u tink it wil b chaotic at last?..u cant see clearly 2kw wat hav gone wrong in ur communities if u dnt listen 2 an objective fact 4rm d public view. if a stranger does nt com nd put tins right in igbo land, tel me who wil? Nd d innocent ones wil continue sufferin d consequences 4 d mischief of ur own brodas.. So dnt blame anybody 4 d northern commisioner in d S/E or S/S cos govt is doin d right tin 2 control d menace ur igbo brodas hav created..
there will be no successful kidnapping if police is nt involved so lets stop all dis hide and seek game.
London boy why not answer village boy which is more suitable to your grammer.
One Igbo proverb says thief can’t go and thief in a place without an insider (onyeosi agaghi abia maoburu na onye ma uzo esoghi) so most of the kidnap victims there is insider
May the soul of those dead rest in peace amen
Forget about police in this whole thing, the truth is that Igbo like money and can do anything to get it. Even the police are abetting these crimes in the East, they must be Igbo by tribe. The truth is bitter, but that is just it. Are the police not in other part of the country? You celebrate riches irrespective of it source, even when you know the source is questionable. Abi i lie? I’ve been in this part of Naija for five yrs now, so, i know that the love of money is the driving force behind these crimes in the East. May God save us. Amen.
Foolish Plain Lies, shut up ur stinking mouth. U left SE when ur criminal activity was about to lead u to hell fire. A man from SE and SS killed or kidnap 50 people and got N100 million and ur SW and newly merged Boko Haram APC party people have bombed, looted and murdered over 5,000 people, rob banks over N500 millions, snatch over 50 cars, Fraudly obtained tax payers money at the tune estimated over N500 billion. Which tribe is posing danger, threat and economic with security sabotage?
IYou are not sure of yourself and that is the reason you are hidding your real identity.You should be man enough to answer your fathers name instead of denying him for fear of being expose of your past
YOUR GOVERNOR T.A ORJI WAS BUSY SENDING ARMY BOYS TO IGBERE TO HARASS A PDP WARD CHAIRMAN BUT ABRIBA A STONE THROW FROM IGBERE IS BOILING
Evil tribe, heartless people, wicked race, money mongers….Dats d full meaning of IBOS
ABOKI, MAY GOD FORGIVE YOU
A man was remarked dat we reap whatever we sow in full measure here on earth. I’m appalled with the mundane importance abiriba people attach to acquisition on wealth though with exception of handful of them. They discreate other people’s land in their must-get-rich attitude forgetting dat such measures await them. From vandalization of PHCN, poor water project, eze tussle, armed robbery, ritual killings and now to kidnapping. I suggest abiriba people should invite strong men of God eg Dr Ukpai for crusade and restitution. Dont blame police bcs what a man sow, he reaps
@Aboki you are nothing but the ass of an old woman for saying that rubbish, where did you come from? mad man…..
@Aboki go back to your state so that the Boko haram will bomb you who knows where you are making nonsense statements hopefully not in the north because you would have been dead………..
@London Boy, i dey feel your English too much but you really need the evening school stuff it will help you……….Lol
I agree with shuffling the security system and expanding the security networks in the region for a better environment.People should be given opportunity and protection to be able to give vital informations to the security agents
The Abia states Government should do something about this rubbish as soon as possible or call on FG to deploy military men there to save the people over there…..
@Aboki,everybody likes money.just that u can’t and wil never have d opportunities like Ibos.May thier soul rest in Peace.
is like Gov T A Orji & his son is shilfting base from Aba to Abiriba.look at Amry camp at Ohafia & look at Abiriba how many mile from their dat dis evil men will go & do their operation & go without any problem.
Once uapon a time,there is this Hausa/crook man/houseboy by name Aboki who has vowed that his mother did abomination,sacrilage by given birth to him,that his mother should have allowed his father’s cow to give birth to him and for reason that his mother is not going to breastfeed him rather he chose his father’s cow to breastfeed him.i can tell you that is the reason why Hausa men/women/boys/girls don’t reason very well and living in ingnorance.ewu ohia,bunch of beasts.
My views may be different. Some of you may think i love money more than my loved onces. I personally wil not pay a dime if my 79 yrs mother was kidnapped. Let them kill her and give me the corpse to bury. I wil use the milions they demanded to give her a befiting burial.
Kidnapping has become a growing and profitable business in nigeria because ramson are paid in millions. More people will organise themselves to this illicit trade. What other business can u do, to make millions within days.? When people stop giving them money, they will definitely stop. The more millions are giving, the more they are encourged to continue.
Ngozi Okonji Iwuala family paid more than 10 millons because they are millionarie family.How many can afford that. Not every family has a Minister or a governor.
So this madness in funding the kidnappers must stop otherwise, there are nothing police and army can do. It is a lucrative venture and it must continue unless no cash or ramson.
KIDNAPPING IN IGBOLAND IS AS A RESULT OF MARGINALIZATION,NEGLECT AND POVERTY.IGBO YOUTHS SUFFER 4RM ACCUTE UNEMPLOYMENT BECAUSE THEIR AREA HAS BEEN LEFT DESOLATE BY THE FG.THERE SHOULD ALSO BE DIALOGUE WITH KIDNAPPERS AND THE FG IN ISREAL.
Every zone in Nigeria has its own share of the crime and evil prevalent in the society today and as far as we have ‘FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA’ peace and unity,security of lives and properties will be far from the people.I said this because some of these evils are fruits of the seeds sowed by politicians to score political goals.with the issue of kidnapping,many sons and daughters of Abiribaland won’t come home to discuss any thing that will make for a political headway in Abiribaland let alone Abia state and Nigeria at large.
I can’t understand why an enemy from north is surposed to be giving the security of ndigbo,why?all this malaise is traceable to this.
It is true that Satan has taken over Abiriba, but it is not new to them, they should not continue to habour evil children. Spare the rod and spoil the child. All the kidnappers are known to your children. Helo yourself first and government will complement your effort
It is true that Satan has taken over Abiriba, but it is not new to them, they should not continue to habour evil children. Spare the rod and spoil the child. All the kidnappers are known to your children. Help yourself first and government will complement your effort
Good people with grate nation i think it was because Abia state Governor’s son & his gang kidnapped a military officer at OHAFIA in the 2011 and nothing was done about that. Is it because his father is in power why should other peoples case be the one to handled properly. If govt are to treate they matter let them start from governor T.A ORJI’S son .
Goldspring u should be very stupid for ur comment concerning de northern cop. When are u jews going to face de fact that nigerian jews are evil. There is nothing an average jew will not do when it comes to making more. Even to kidnapp their own father, mother, son n daughter for de purpose of making money. This de result of ur orientation toward money. Goldspring stop blaming innocent people for ur fault. We all know that without u jews , there wouldn’t be any crime in Nigeria. U jews live n breath crime.
Kola Amodu is jealous of Igbos. I hope u have not developed an HBP or Stroke attack. The way u are going about this ur Jew Jew Jew is showing excess hatred. Igbos were made specially great by Allah God. Is not by might or power, President or Vice, but by the special grace of God. After all ur tribal looting, corruption, awarding excess States and LGA, yet poverty is still ur Northern/SW portion.
No one prevent u guys to keep committing suicide bombing, if the annoyance is over-flowing. Tinubu has brought merger of bombers and poverty to the SW. Now, boko haram CPC and tribal ACN are partners in Bombing and tribal hatred. Killings and Bombing are welcomed to Lagos, Ibadan, Abaokute, Ado Ekiti, Uyo.
I trust Adams in Edo State bcos he has long spoon to eat during the period of two devil’s marriage ceremony.
@london boy, @ fitex, @the insider and @ nwachukwu phil….. please you people can not kill me with laughter, i promise you all that london boy will certainly improve with your corrections, but @ julius i think your opinion in this whole thing everybody is making sense is irrelivant, but try to learn how to contribute ideas to this forum pls,
Wheather an hausa man or an igbo man, a corrupt person is a corrupt person, to me it doesn’t make any difference because he will even be more afraid of the people and everything in that place as an hausa man but an igbo man won’t…. the problem of the abiriba people is thier mentality, have you ever come across an abiriba man in business? they are very greedy set of people in igbo land and can do anything for money. listen my people money is very good but not when it’s being gotten from a very bad source, i don’t need evil money around me, there’s no amout of money you will get today that will make you the richest man , even when you are being rated as the richest man certainly you re not. Let’s be contempt with what we have and our world will be a better place for us to live and enjoy.
Another stupid animal from the north has just jumped out from the bush where it has been feeding itself on grasses that calls himself kola amodu, why is it that all you illitrates who have refused to go to school and be educated inspite of all the free education in the north you kill people who were sent to immunize your people for the hatred of mankind, are still going around at the height of your ignorance making an un-organized noise like a bloated ape. can you in anyway compare the igbos with the animals we have in this country called hausa? who kill the almajeri in dozens for thier rituals and stupid sacrifices on daily basis.
Aboki u dey craze! You no like money that’s why one juju alahji dey feed many of una IN STELY (one BIG trenpan full of RICE), insteed of taking una to busy (were u belong) for feeding!
The greatest worry is that the evil call Kidnapping has now moved down to dwell and manifest itself in the house, compound and environs of top millitary brass Nigeria has produced: from Rtd Cdr Abitu Ukiwe, Rtd Maj. Gen Ike Nwachukwu and the serving Army Chief General Ihejirika including former Abia state Gov. Orji Kalu. This rubish is happening withing their neighbourhood. The more worrysome is the closeness of third biggest millitary cantonment called Goodluck Jonathan Barracks and its numerous Army and police checkpoints with Armourd Personnel Carriers all over the places. Me think that the Security peronnels in Abia state should be scrutinized.
Where did Nigeria get it wrong? We must go back to the bases. Nigeria must evolve an egalitarian society that is build on fare play, rule of law and justice.
@DINOSOURS you are correect
Why are we the Ibos always going to another man’s ancestral land in search of money and land causing havoc on our way and everywhere we go. Why can’t we stay in Imo/Anambra /Enugu/Ebonyi/Abia States with our able and rich Governors like Obi, Chime and Rochas and develop our own ancestral land. We gang, struggled and asked for these States to be created for us. We are even asking for three more states now. We collect the State and later relocate to other peoples states. Why? Why? Why are we always running to other states. How many of these people have C of O in our states? How many Yoruba man can access our Land most especially, Abia & Imo State? We have divided the Land long ago without creating even C of O: hence, the land are not marketable. Our people are not marketable even for Aso Rock because we always market fake people and products, bastardized Korean, Indian or China products. We go to village now with armed escorts. How long shall these be. Hotels are now on every street in Enugu because we cannot go into our father’s compound anymore. We are scared. We cannot take our Land documents to a good bank for Loan. Any bank that does: do so at its own risk. We cannot generate cash from our land as done in other states of the Federation with our dubious Power of Attorney papers. All land are convertibles all over the world except in Ibo land. Some states in the Federation issue C of O within one month whereas, ours is two or five C of O in six years, as our Governor pleases. As Ndigbo we need to do some rethinking to align to a composite Nigeria. Can we bring our Land papers in Ibo Land as collateral to borrow money in Lagos? An Ibo man is serving in Lagos as Commissioner and same is not good in any Ibo Land. An Ibo man fixed Oshodi to make it motorable today for Lagosians. We need God to help us Ndigbo. Can a Yoruba man be given any appointment as “anything” in Ibo Land? We need to do a soul searching now before it gets out of hand Ndigbo. Why are we so greedy and self centered? We could not have been created like this by God the creator of heaven and earth. It must have been borne out of our corrupted custom and tradition. Worst still, we don’t tell ourselves the home truth. We use the Nigerian “World War” sorry I mean “Biafra War” to confuse ourselves 50 years after; whereas those that fought the real World War have long closed gaps, as if we were not the one that fired the first shot. IBO-I before others). We killed the Hausa and the Yoruba and no Ibo man died in the very first coup meaning what. We have the blood of those killed on our head. We need high level spiritual cleansing..because the blood will always speak out in different manner and form. It speaks over and over and endlessly unless it is atoned.
I pray we have a man like Prof Wole Soyinka in Ibo Land that can check us within. A one-man-warrior. An international man yet so homely with grace and truth. That man attacked even OBJ not minding they are from the same State at the Airport one day in my presence. This is just the truth…….Ndigbo this is a wake-up call and not an indictment, please…..
wait for police now! Police themselves are part of the crime
Even up till now I can`t still believe that such ashameful things are happening in a community that is called Small London.First of all how can this type of story be narrated to friends from other communities,that one man had succeed in bringing up blood thirsty guys as he is,and had became a treat to every one espcially rich people worked to make money so that they can meet up with their needs
I think all the traditional rulers of Abiriba should be taken up by the police especial Eze Ogbu for questioning because I heard of what he did when the armies came to look those bad guys,he had to stop them.And if he says he doesn’t have a hand to what is happening in Abiriba he then should call the Abia state Governor and let what is happening.
Visit TB Joshua, atleast he will tell you through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit if she’s dead or alive.
i know quite well that osisi and hero was commenting out of ignorance in high places. and mr know all dinosours had show cased how educated and tribalism of himself. let’s speaks the truth for ones. our own too much.the rate of crime, kidnapping precisely is killing our region very fast, our youth don’t want to indulge in hardworking any more, at the same time they want good things. beautiful cars, beautiful houses and all the good things that comes along with hardworking and dedication. SE is finished, i will not blame any tribe that comment and condemned what is happening in the tribal setting of SE, that almost all tribe in this country are respecting them, for their hardworking. if some of you genuine Igbo contributor will agree with me that all is not well with us. in the whole Africa Igbo villages are the most developed village and all this was born out of hardworking. so people should always proffer solution on any given issue than using it to show hatred, and using of unguided utterances. was it in Abiriba that they kidnapped and killed the chief protocol of deputy governor of Imo state? was it in Abiriba mgbidi they kidnapped and buried some body alive? a traditional ruler was kidnapped in Adazi nnukwu up till now no news or contact from his adopters. and this types of news you keep on hearing every day. in-fact all the Igbo land, people are running away from their ancestral home. more than seventy five percent Igbos are in diaspora, and none will want to face the danger signal of kidnappers in the SE region. so be wised up.
The solution is to remove theodore orji.
Dinosours u are simply a fool,must ushow ur enviousness to ebiriba people in public….only a lazy man believed to get rich is through ritual,ebiriba people is known for their hardworking both in commerce,industries etc but let me know ur stinking poor village that want to get rich through kidnapping ebiriba richmen….idiot….