Kidnap of pregnant woman jolts Port Harcourt community

Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike

Residents of Mgbuoba area of Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital have been jolted by the recent kidnap of a woman, who was seven-month-old pregnant.

The incident had not only angered residents, it spurred them into setting up a vigilance group to defend themselves against armed robbers and kidnappers ravaging the area.

An eyewitness to the kidnap incident, who spoke with Southern City News on Tuesday, said the woman was, however, released after a week just an employee of the Niger Delta Development Commission was whisked away.

The eyewitness, who identified himself as Demian Ogwuji, said that few weeks to the incident, armed robbers had attacked Bobby filling station in Mgbuoba in broad daylight and killed two policemen attached to the Abia State Police Command.

“The policemen were there to refill their vehicle’s tank when the armed robbers opened fire on them. The two policemen died on the spot. Surprisingly, the armed robbers left the scene with the police patrol vehicle.

“All these happened in my area in Mgbuoba not quite long ago and because the crime rate there was getting too much, residents decided to beef up security by empowering the existing vigilance group there.

“When kidnappers came and took the pregnant woman away, they met her in front of her gate, forced her into a waiting vehicle and sped off to an unknown destination.

“The private security guard manning the woman’s gate was so shocked and speechless and could not tell us what went wrong immediately,” Ogwuji said.

Speaking in a telephone interview with Southern City News, the Head of the vigilance group in the area, Mr. Sunny Nwigala, said, “We rely on God for security and on our own, we have beefed up security within the neighbourhood. We are not happy about what is happening and that is why we are beefing up security.

“As we speak, they (kidnappers) have released the pregnant woman and the NDDC staff. This area (Mgbuoba) has become a flashpoint and we want the police to sustain the patrol of the area,” he said.

Speaking on the rate of kidnapping and armed robbery, the state Assistant Police Public Relations Officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the police had since begun a 24-hour surveillance of the area.

Iringe-Koko, added that the police command would not relent in its determination to eliminate crime within the area and any part of the state.