20100720
africanews

Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of four local journalists, two days after their release in Abia State of Nigeria. Force Public Relations Officer Emmanuel Ojukwu said they are currently in police custody and are being questioned about their activities.

"Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the kidnap of the four journalists. They are in our custody and undergoing interrogation," AFP quoted Ojukwu as saying.

The suspects include the traditional ruler of Amaube-Ime Boro Autonomous Community in Ikwuano LGA Eze Vincent Okezie Uche who has been dethroned by the Abia State government and charged for allegedly sponsoring kidnapping and armed robbery, Eze Okechukwu Atulobi of Osusu Abala Autonomous Community, Eze Nwabiaraije Eneogwe of Ababyi Autono-mous Community and Eze S. Onwukwe of Abala Ibeme Autonomous Community, all in Obingwa LGA have been suspended.

The journalists abducted for a week were on their way back from a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of NUJ and included the Chairman Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Wahab Oba, Secretary of Zone G NUJ Adolphus Okoronkwo, Acting Secretary NUJ Sylva Okereke, Lagos-based journalist Sola Oyeyipo and their driver Azeez Abdulrauf.

The journalists were attacked at Umuafouka junction near Ukwakiri in Obingwa Local Government Area of the state on July 11.

Ransom

The kidnappers demanded a ransom of N250 million, but eventually released the journalists on Sunday following the heat put on them by the police.

According to the journalists, they were moved constantly from place to place as the police closed in. Apparently sensing danger, they dumped the hostages in the bush and fled.

In their ordeal, Oba has disclosed that the kidnappers kept them in chains and blindfolded each time they “moved in the bush and made to sleep on the grass for one week. Only few times they were allowed to move freely.

“We saw corpses. We were frightened at the horrible sight of corpses. We did not know how they were killed. We then said if these people could be killed, we were trying to figure out what would happen.

“We even thought the same thing could happen to us. We were so frightened. We also saw that the place was desolate. You can walk for 30 minutes without sign of any movement except the police. If they kill one hundred persons in that bush per day, no person will know. What we saw in the bush terrified and horrified us. I actually saw two corpses.

“But my colleagues saw three corpses in the bush. I am sure there would be avoiding some of these corpses. For us to see three, it means it was inevitable that we must pass through that path. When our faces were covered, we might pass by a number of corpses in the desolate forest where the kidnappers held us,” the chairman said.