ACCORDING TO OGAH, KIDNAPPERS REGULARLY VISIT HOMES AND DEMAND AS LITTLE AS N30,000 FROM THEIR VICTIMS.

Uchenna Ogah, a member of the House of Representatives, claimed that kidnappers in Abia State’s Isuikwuato and Umunneochi Federal Constituency now want as little as N30,000 from their victims.

Ogah said the majority of his constituents have left their homes when he spoke to journalists shortly after introducing a motion on the subject.
He claimed that the situation is worse along the expressway in the region since several of his constituents who had been kidnapped were made to pay millions of naira in ransom under threat of being shot.

Therefore, the legislator from the Labour Party (LP) urged President Bola Tinubu to send in security personnel to stop the trend.
“The truth is that kidnapping has turned into a ‘Akara’ business,” he declared. In my district, kidnappings occur almost daily. They have even taken to kidnapping people at their houses and demanding a ransom of between N30,000 and N50,000.

Many villagers have left their homes, I hear. They can no longer visit farms. I’m merely here to speak on their behalf. Security and welfare of the populace are the main responsibilities of the government. How would they appreciate it if I attracted millions of projects?

Ogah, who supported the creation of state police, begged the federal government to get involved in his district.
The House urged the President to send security personnel to Lokpanta’s Regional Cattle Market, the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Uturu-Okigwe Road, Ihube-Isuochi Road, the Abia State University Uturu (ABSU) Junction, Akara Road, Uturu-Afikpo Road, Umuaku-Umunze Road, Awgu-Ishiagu Road, and the surrounding areas.

It also requested that the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Chief of Army Staff (CAS) establish a joint patrol team to scour farms and forests for kidnappers, bandits, and any other criminal elements in certain areas of the Isuikwuato and Umunneochi councils.

In addition, the House mandated an ad hoc committee to communicate with the National Security Adviser, Chief of Air Staff, Inspector General of Police, and Commandant General of NSCDC to establish countermeasures for criminal activity in the areas and provide a report to the House within four weeks.