By Ralph Omololu Agbana.
The activities of kidnappers are gradually suffocating socioeconomic activities in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Council, Kogi State, following Tuesday’s raid on the community by the miscreants.
Residents of the community, while narrating their ordeals admitted to now living in total fear.
According to eyewitnesses accounts, the latest incident occured at about past 9pm. Some kidnappers, numbrring about 10 all dressed in black had stormed the central market and went away with a prominent businesswoman, simply named Bukky after shooting sporadically. The spot is known to be ever busy with a large concentration of Fulani residents in Ejiba and environs who mostly carry out their activities of petty trading, well late into the midnight. Bucky is said to have her store located in the heart of the market space.
It was in one of such night trading that the kidnappers, all identified as fulani struck. They came in two groups and surrounded the place, five from the main road, while four others had stationed themselves in the back of Bukky’s container. They started shooting from front and back, lasting a few minutes. Bukky ran out of her container but was pursued and they grabbed on her. They also took away another resident, a male customer.
Bukky’s mother, popularly called Madam Sesan, who ran inside to hide inside the container sustained machete injury on the leg as her daughter was seen carried away by her abductors”, revealed two teenagers who claimed they witnessed the scene unfold from within close range.
The shootings sent shock waves throughout the community at that time of the night.
The incident was the second kidnapping case witnessed in the town in just two weeks.
About two weeks ago, yet to be identified gunmen stormed the home of another prominent businessman and politician, Mr Joseph, simply named ‘Joseph”, and took away two persons, after failing to get their target.
One of the victims had died in the hands of the abductors, while the other is still recuperating from the serious beatings he received from the kidnappers, after payment of ransom.
The victims of the latest abduction are still in the custody of the kidnappers.
Residents who spoke to this reporter yesterday appealed to Council Transition Committee in charge of Yagba West, the member representing Yagba West Constituency in the Kogi State House of Assembly and the lawmaker representing Yagba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, prominent sons and daughters of Ejiba Community for concerted efforts with the security agencies for immediate action that may lead to the rescue of the kidnap victims and apprehension of the criminals.
A further appeal was made to the Kogi State Government to pay special security attention on security of lives and property in Ejiba Community which is home to the Federal Government’s irrigation project, the Kampe Dam, State and Kogi Government-owned Ejiba Rice Mill.
“It is a matter of time before the affliction spreads to other communities, if measures are not taken to stop these kidnappers turning Ejiba into a theatre of woes”, warned one resident.
Senior Special Assistant to Kogi State Governor in charge of Yagba Federal Constituency, Pius Kolawole said in a terse statement that the state authority is “working under ground seriously to end the nonsense but the steps taken so far cannot be discussed. Please bear with the system as security of lives and property is the main priority of this Administration”.
