Date Published: 01/14/10

Niger Delta: Port Harcourt-Ukwa Axis not safe, says Rivers SSG

SECRETARY of the  Rivers State Government (SSG), Mr. Magnus Abe, has warned that the Abia State areas linking to Port Harcourt, his state capital, are largely unsafe as they have become a seeming safe haven to kidnappers.

Prominent citizens and oil workers are being targeted by armed youths who are abducting for ransom. There is an air of insecurity along the Ngwa-Ukwa axis of Abia state linking to Port Harcourt..

Already, Abe has warned citizens, particularly those using the Port Harcourt-Aba road to other states to be careful as ''the axis has been particularly unsafe for Rivers indigenes either patronizing the commercial opportunities in Abia or going about their lawful duties in other states along the axis''.

The warning came as the state government also condemned in strong terms the abduction of four expatriates at Owaza, Abia state, in the early hours of Tuesday.

The SSG who described the kidnap of the four expatriates as unfortunate, said the incident which happened at a boundary community with the state may be sending a wrong signal.

“This incident though did not happened in Rivers state”, but is capable of sending a wrong signal and thereby affecting the peaceful environment prevailing in the state”, Abe said.

To forestall further occurrence, he said security operatives in Rivers will henceforth be working with their Abia state counterpart to make the area safe.

He also noted that efforts were being inensified to ensure the safe release of the expatriates and to ensure that the perpetrators of the act are apprehended and brought to book

The SSG explained that the state government has for the past two years worked hard to achieve an improved level of security in the state and would not fold its hands to watch the lawlessness of miscreants in any neighbouring state affect the law abiding residents of Rivers State.

An elite-like kidnapping operation ruptured the fragile peace in the oil region on Tuesday when four expatriate contractors including three Britons and one Colombian were kidnapped at the early hour of the day by  unidentified armed  gang, inflicting injuries on their police escort.

The expatriate contractors were abducted at Obehie in Abia state,  a boundary town between Rivers and Abia.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Rivers Command Mrs. Rita Inoma-Abbey, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) claimed that the contractors took off from the Intels Services, an oil servicing company in which former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, is believed to have huge interest,  in Onne, Rivers. They were heading to the Afam power plant when they were kidnapped by the dangerously armed youths.

The police is claiming that the victims did not take the more safer Oyigbo- Afam road because it is in a bad state and so , decided to take the Owaza—Obehie road, when they met their fate.

Meanwhile, Rivers police has announced a N2 Million cash reward to any person or group of persons who would supply information that would lead to the arrest of the kidnappers or the recovery of the expatriate victims.

Abbey who said that the financial reward is redeemable at the police headquarters, Moscow road, Port Harcourt , gave phone numbers :- 0803777787,08073777717 and 080 32003514 as contacts points.

The command has in response to fresh fears of rising kidnap incidence, launched out anti-kidnap campaign, calling on the public to ‘’say NO to any form of criminality that thwarts the efforts of government in bringing about peace in Rivers state’’