Judiciary workers, including a pregnant woman, abducted in Rivers state

The Police Command in Rivers State have confirmed the abduction of five persons which include two state judiciary workers and a pregnant woman along Isiokpo Road in Ikwerre local government area, last Sunday. The whereabouts of the victims was unknown since last Sunday when they were expected back from Abuja after attending a judicial council meeting which took place in Abuja on Saturday.

The Rivers state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed the incident said the police would do everything possible to secure their release.

The police confirmation of the incident came on the heels of the announcement by the state chairman of the Judiciary Council, Mr. George Sokari, who also said that the matter had been reported to the police.

Mr. Sokari said: “Our members were last Saturday kidnapped at Isiokpo on their way back to Port Harcourt from Abuja where they attended a judiciary council meeting. Our call is a passionate appeal to the kidnappers to let them go. They are women, they are mothers. They are out as commoners who are into labour issues to speak for the down-trodden as unionists. They are mere civil servants like any other person that was involved in the struggle for the emancipation of the ordinary man.

“We want to appeal to the security agencies to up their game. You can imagine someone, haven travelled from far away Abuja, you are just about 30 minutes to your house and right in your home state you are taken away,” he said.

The chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in the state, Mrs. Beatrice Etubo, has appealed to the abductors to release the victims unconditionally.
Beatrice Itubo, said that the abducted women were civil servants and had no money to pay for ransom to secure their release. She also urged security agencies to swing into action and ensure that they were released unharmed.

“These are officers that are working and defending the masses. They are workers of the judiciary sector. We are calling on the kidnappers to release them. Where do they expect them to bring money to pay for ransom?

“Labour is calling on them to unconditionally release them, they include the chairman and the secretary of the union, otherwise, labour will be forced to go to the streets to demand for their release.

Also the state chairman of Radio and Television Workers Union, RATAWU, Mr. O Erekosima, has appealed to the abductors of the workers to release them unhurt. He described as sad and shocking that the women have been held captive without committing any offence.

“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the kidnappers that hijacked the state vehicle that was coming from Abuja to Port Harcourt on Sunday to please release all the passengers in that vehicle. We are begging them in God’s name. Those women are from various industrial unions in that vehicle including a pregnant woman. Please release them unconditionally to their families. It is embarrassing that one would travel all the way from Abuja to Port Harcourt, and it is in Rivers State, their own home state, that their vehicle was hijacked by unknown persons,” he wondered.