An Abuja-based journalist with The PUNCH Newspapers, Mr. Okechukwu Nnodim, has been kidnapped on Wednesday night from his residence in Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The kidnappers also attacked his neighbours and went away with two sons of a widow, Mrs Faith Gbeyide.
Narrating the incident on Thursday, Nnodim’s wife, Oluchi explained that her husband was working on his laptop when five strange men scaled the fence around 11pm and entered their compound, ordering them to open the door.
She expressed that the gunmen fired several shots at the windows and subsequently pulled down the burglar-proof iron after which they forced the front door open.
Oluchi stated;
My husband asked me to stay with the children in their room. I heard the men asking him to bring out money but he told them he didn’t have money in the house. They took our phones and marched him out of the house. They went to our neighbour’s house and also abducted her two sons.
On her part, Madam Gbeyide explained that her son opened the door when the men threatened to kill them if they refused.
She said;
They took the N9,000 in my purse, upturned the TV in the room and went away with my first son, Victor. My second son, Gbenga, started following them and they also took him away.
The FCT police spokesperson, ASP Miriam Yusuf confirmed the incident and according to ThisDay, FCT Command yesterday launched a manhunt for the kidnappers.
A source at the command said it was making concerted effort to free the journalist, saying;
We are making frantic efforts to free him and reunite him with his family. He was kidnapped in Pyagi in the outskirts of Abuja. We have been on the matter since 2am (yesterday). We are treating him as our own. We are all stakeholders.
