Armed Men Kidnap Abia Journalist, Demand N10m Ransom

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

An Abia journalist, Mr. Chuks Onuoha has been kidnapped by armed men who gained entry into his home at Umungasi Ohuhu in Umuahia North local government and took him away in his jeep.

Mr. Onuoha, who is the editor-in-chief of All Facts Newspaper, an Umuahia based publication, was until last year, the state correspondent of the Sun Newspapers.

Wife of the kidnapped journalist, Mrs. Udodirim Onuoha said that her husband was whisked away by three armed men who entered their house at about 10.45pm on Tuesday while he was resting after returning from work.

She told a delegation of journalists led by the chairman of Abia State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ), Comrade Victor Ndukwe, that she was also in the sitting room with her husband when the hoodlums slipped in through the back door.

According to her, the first gun man that entered the house immediately pointed a gun at her husband and demanded for his phones and ATM card while the other gunmen emerged from different directions.

“One of them said to me, ‘madam don’t panic’,” she said, adding that they took her husband away in his jeep along with his two mobile handsets and ATM card.

Mrs. Onuoha, who was visibly distraught, said that before the kidnappers left, they sternly warned the family against contacting the police if they want the journalist to remain alive.

She stated that the evil men later made contact on phone and demanded N10 million ransom before they would release their victim, adding that they later lowered their ransom demand to N2 million.

Chairman of Abia NUJ, Comrade Ndukwe while comforting Mrs. Onuoha and members of her family, regretted that hoodlums have now chosen to direct their nefarious activities at journalists.

He urged Onuoha’s wife to remain strong and not succumb to despair as everything possible would be done to secure the release of the journalist, adding that with divine intervention he would return home unhurt.

Abia has in event time started experiencing increasing incidents of abductions. The Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Kanu-Uche was abducted with two other priests on May 29, 2022 and N100 million was paid to free them

On June 5, 2022, a medical doctor, Prof Uwadinachi Iweha was kidnapped and still remains in the hands of his abductors even after a ransom running into millions of Naira was said to have been paid.