Judex Okoro, Calabar
The Cross River Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, has decried the incessant kidnappings and other violent crimes in the state, and threatened to boycott carnival festivities.
The Organised Labour said due to the growing insecurity in recent times, it could not guarantee industrial peace during the festive period with their chairman, Comrade Ben Ukpepi, in kidnappers’ den.
But the state government has assured that it is on top of the challenge.
Ukpepi was abducted on Tuesday at his residence in Akpabuyo local government area of the state by gunmen.
In a statement in Calabar, the State Vice Chairman of NLC, Comrade Lawrence Achuta, said even as they have written to Governor Ben Ayade on the matter, they were yet to get any response as their chairman has been held hostage for five days running.
Achuta said: “It is about five days now that our chairman has been in captivity. Twelve hours after his kidnap, we wrote to the governor and we have not got a positive response. In the past 7 days, we are informed of about 5 other kidnap cases in and around Calabar.
The Organized Labour Community is deeply worried over the deplorable situation in the state. We use this opportunity to inform the general public that we cannot guarantee industrial peace in Calabar during this festive period as we can’t pretend to glory, in the name of Carnival, when people are kidnapped in the state almost on daily basis.
“We pray the governor intervenes to avoid any unpleasant reactions from the Labour community. The state is no longer safe for us,” he stated.
Dr. Alfred Mboto, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties (in charge of security) Governor’s office, said the state government was working with security agencies to secure the release of Ukpepi from his abductors.
Mboto maintained that the present administration is committed to safeguarding the lives and properties of residents, assuring that the NLC chairman would be rescued unhurt.
Also reacting, the State Police spokesperson, DSP Irene Ugbo, said the Anti-Kidnapping and Cultism Unit of the police was working tirelessly to rescue Ukpepi.
Irene said the Command has launched a man hunt for those who behind the kidnap saga in the state.