Ebonyi: Ripples over PDP chieftain’s kidnap

The Ebonyi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are locked in a war of words over the kidnap of a chieftain of the PDP in the state, Amos Ogbonnaya. UCHENNA INYA reports

The abduction of a former Coordinator of Anuagata Development Centre in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Amos Ogbonnaya, by suspected political thugs last week, has continued to generate mixed reactions from the two dormant political parties – All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state with chieftains of both parties accusing each other of being behind the kidnap.

Ogbonnaya, who leads a group of politicians in the state known as G64, served as coordinators of various Development Centres in the state in the present administration, had appeared on television programme last week and kicked against the policies and programmes of the state government.

He was said to have been abducted on his way back from a Parents Teachers Association (PTA) meeting that took place at Government College, Okposi, in Ohaozara council area of the state.

The state chapter of the PDP, while reacting to the incident, accused the state government and the state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba, of complicity.

“Sadly, the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State has shown himself to be a puppet of the state government and has continually aided thugs in the discharge of their criminal activities. We now consider the Commissioner of Police a partner of the government in causing crisis in Ebonyi State.

“If Ogbonnaya is not released, then we all know that the need for self-defence has become eminent and the Commissioner of Police is incapable of protecting lives and property of Ebonyi people.

Only his removal can restore confidence in the police as he has become a politician,” the PDP in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Silas Onu, said. However, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Oda  while reacting to the allegation, called on the family of the victim to make useful information available to the police, concerning the abduction.

“The police have always been accused and we are not worried about that; the most important thing is for the family of the victim to do needful by providing useful information to the police, for possible rescuing of the victim and apprehension of the perpetrators,” she said.

The state government, on its part, described the kidnap saga as the opposition party’s “grand design by his syndicate of political howlers to cause tension in the state and incite public hatred on a government they hold in a very high esteem.”

The Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Orji Uchenna Orji, while reacting to the PDP allegation said: “We have it on good authority that millions of naira have been voted to these conscienceless fellows to hatch and execute unprintable atrocities and to keep social media and other media platforms busy with unthinkable fabrications against the state government, with a view to attacking the hard earned reputation of our dear governor and the testimonials of his great accomplishments.

“The general public is invited therefore to note that this latest press release of PDP Ebonyi State chapter on alleged kidnap of one Amos Ogbonna, authored by Barr. Silas Joseph Onu, is part of the grand design by his syndicate of political howlers to cause tension in the state and incite public hatred on a government they hold in a very high esteem.

“We therefore dissociate and distance ourselves as government from the thoughts and claims of these PDP officials, who for pecuniary and political reasons have covenanted with the opposition forces to unleash falsehood on the state government.

“From information available, it is obvious that Amos Ogbonnaya was last seen with Hon. Linus Okorie and Chidiebere Egwu. We therefore demand that security agencies should hold them accountable on the whereabouts of their co-traveler as circumstantial evidence points compellingly on their complicity in their allegation.

“It is warned that Ebonyi State government has records of the antecedents and the crime records of  these harbingers of doom and shall do everything possible to protect the citizenry from being a prey to their ungodly plots.

“We reaffirm our commitment to the core values of our administration and the prophetic proclamation that guides our actions. We leave our battles in the hands of God as we are sure that the enemies of our modest achievements shall be disappointed in the evil deeds of their agents.”

On its part, a youth group sympathetic to the state government, Ebonyi State Youths for Good Governance, absolved the government of the kidnap. A statement signed by Chike Onyema, the Publicity Secretary of the group, alleged that the state PDP is sponsoring the victim to be propagating falsehood against the state government.

The state APC also supported the government and youth group, accusing some chieftains of masterminding the kidnap. A statement signed by Publicity Secretary of the party, Simbad Ogbuatu, alleged that PDP gave the  victim the sum of N10 million to be attacking the state government.

“Silas Onu, the false alarmist of Ebonyi PDP has shot himself on the leg again by alleging that the kidnappers of the so-called Barr. Amos are ‘agents of the Ebonyi State Government.

What a trash! Let it be on record that the real kidnappers; and Silas Joseph Onu, the rabble rouser knows about them but chose to accuse the State Government as a diversionary tactics. “If the truth must be told and the devil put to shame, it was PDP Ali Boys( as they are called) that kidnapped the so-called Barr. Amos.

The reason for his kidnap as we reliably gathered is that the Amos in question attended a reconciliatory meeting at Palm Bay Hotel with Hon. Mark Onu(Chopper) two days ago. Hulala was also in that Hotel.

“The PDP had given the so-called Amos N10million to be attacking the Ebonyi State Government and Chief Linus Okorie got so angry that Amos could accept a meeting with people he was bent on destroying; he felt betrayed and ordered his kidnap.

The Ali Boys took Amos to Okorie’s house where he was mercilessly tortured and the same PDP went to the social media to accuse the State Government. What a shame!

“So, the PDP leadership in Ebonyi State and indeed the South-East geopolitical zone should stop this propaganda and tell the world where they kept Amos after torturing him in Chief Okorie’s house because they cannot subvert the truth.

“The general public should also be put on notice that it is the PDP that kidnapped their own man and tortured him, and turned round to accuse the Ebonyi State Government to conceal their crime by shifting culpability, but they have failed,” the statement said.

But, a former member of the House of Representatives in the state, Hon. Linus Okorie and chieftain of PDP, berated the APC Publicity Secretary describing the allegation against him by Ogbuatu as false and a decoy intended to divert the attention of the public and security agencies from otherwise credible leads pointing strongly in the direction of the APC, its members and authorities in the state.

He challenged the APC to publicly provide evidence to substantiate the    allegation against him and PDP in the kidnap saga.

He said: “My attention has been drawn to an irresponsible and unconscionable press release by the Ebonyi State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Ogbuatu Chidi Simbad, alleging that I ‘ordered the kidnap’ of Amos Ogbonnaya, one of the embattled former Development Centre coordinators currently in a running battle with the state government over issues bordering on their past service and welfare.

“The infantile argument of the illogical statement is that the victim offended me by attending a reconciliation meeting with an official of the state government that was, allegedly, held Palm Bay, a public place that is always full of people and activities.

This, in the juvenile and warped interpretation of the Ebonyi APC apparatchik, meant betrayal by Amos Ogbonnaya. “I wish to state unequivocally that the allegation is false, concocted, childish, unfounded, unintelligent, imbecilic and, evidently, a hollow decoy intended to divert the attention of the public and security agencies from otherwise credible leads pointing strongly in the direction of the APC, its members and authorities in the state.

“I challenge the Ebonyi APC and its Publicity Secretary to go public with evidence substantiating its various allegations against me and  the Ebonyi State chapter of the PDP in this heinous crime. As the ruling party in the state, it beggers reason that it has so much evidence of the motive and details of a kidnap, yet has done nothing to rescue the victim so he can narrate his story to the police to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of the culprits.

“Without preempting the eventual outcome of ongoing investigations by the police and other security agencies, I am convinced that whoever authored or authorized that jaundiced press release of the APC knows the abductors and whereabouts of Amos Ogbonnaya, and should be held to account.

“I wish to passionately appeal to the Governor David Umahi to quickly intervene and ensure that Amos is not killed to cover up the identity of his abductors.

This is more so given that the painful memory of the late Ihebunandu Okorie, himself a former Coordinator in Okposi, and how he was mysteriously murdered is still very fresh to allow a repeat.

The spate of insecurity in the state too behooves the state government to ensure that its officials and organs live well above board, and are not themselves, part of the problem. “Finally, I hereby make myself available to the police and other security agencies at any time in the course of their investigation of this heinous crime.

At the same time, let me sound a clear note of intention to pursue my right to protect my name  and hard earned integrity against the purveyors of this criminal allegation, should it finally be proven that it is false and unfounded.”

Okorie also tackled the state Commissioner for Information, Uchenna Orji for accusing him of being behind the kidnap.

He said the release by the state government was public notification of an impending clamp down on real and imagined opposition leaders and their investments in the state National Vice Chairman of the PDP (South-East), Chief Ali Odefa, who was accused by the Ebonyi State government and the APC of being behind the kidnap, in a statement by Moses Idika, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, alleged that the state government has activated its plan against political opponents. The statement read in part:

“The government of Mr. David Umahi of Ebonyi State has now made it abundantly clear that it has placed all perceived political opponents under watch, everyone with dissenting opinion is now followed about in Ebonyi State.

This is a calculated action of the state government to stifle democracy, free speech and pounce on the fundamental human rights of the people of Ebonyi State, especially, those seen as opposing the APC government of Mr. Umahi.

“Just as we had earlier alerted the public, Ebonyi State government has now unequivocally announced to the world its intension and plans to unleash terror on all perceived political opponents of the members of Governor Umahi’s government.

According to Mr. Uchenna Orji, ‘it is warned that Ebonyi State government has records of the antecedents and the crime records of these harbingers of doom and shall do everything possible to protect the citizenry from being a prey to their ungodly plots.’ “We are constrained, therefore, to charge the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Security Service (DSS),

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria military and all other paramilitary organisations to use their intelligence networks to unravel the recent upsurge of crimes including kidnapping, armed robbery, car snatching and killings in Ebonyi State.

“Democracy in currently endangered in Ebonyi State as the despotic state government has rather than protect the lives and property of the citizenry resorted to oppression and clampdown of the people of the State.

As bonafide citizens of citizens, we shall henceforth deploy all constitutional and legal means to protect our fundamental Human Rights, including our right to life, freedom of Speech and association,” he said.

As Ogbonnaya’s kidnap and torture has continued to generate reactions and propaganda by PDP in the state and their chieftains, the public are expecting to know from security agents who actually masterminded the act.

The victim had already been released by his abductors and have been transferred from a private hospital, where he was receiving treatment in Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state to another private hospital in Enugu, while his family members who are battling to save his life have refused to speak on the matter. (New Telegraph)