 |
| Victims Of Kidnapping |
Report By: Campaign For
Democracy South-East Region Publicity Arm
The Campaign for Democracy (CD), South-East Region has lamented
continued upsurge in Kidnapping in the South-East, which is making the zone
unsafe for industrialists and businessmen and women.
This was contained in a statement issued by CD to newsmen in
Onitsha, Anambra State.
The statement was signed by Dede Uzor A. Uzor, Chairman, CD
South-East Region.
``It is very depressing that notwithstanding the huge amount of
money the governors of the five South-East states collect each month; they, as
the chief security officers, had been unable to contain the continued upsurge
of kidnapping.
``It is equally decrying that an average of five persons are
kidnapped per month in each state of the zone and they pay between N30 million
and N20 million each.
``Which amount to about N150 million per month from wealthy
individuals in a state; thus, totaling N750 million per month from the five
states.
``There had been this massive exodus of industrialists,
businessmen and women from the zone due to activities of kidnappers,’’ it said.
The statement said that the recent escalation of kidnapping is
more rampant in major cities within the zone, which includes: Onitsha, Aba,
Owerri, Awka, Umuahia, Enugu and Abakaliki, among others.
``These are the cities where most wealthy people and their
families live and carry-out their daily business.
``This is making business and human security to collapse and the
wealthy not free to move around within the zone due to fear of being
kidnapped,’’ it said.
The statement urged governors of the zone to wake-up and arrest
the situation especially as Christmas and New Year mass return of Ndi-Igbo is
fast approaching.
``Also help to stop the present exodus of the wealthy people;
which if not checked within some months, the economy of the zone would
crumble,’’ it said.
The statement also called on mobile phones service providers to
assist the police and other law enforcement agencies to track these kidnappers
as they use mobile phones to network their operations. It further said that
``And efforts should be made to energize the South-East Economic
Summit in order to revive the moribund industries in the zone; taking a cue
from the South-South”.
``The revival of industries had become paramount so that
workplaces would be created to contain youths that would likely join these bad
eggs perpetrating these heinous crime,’’ it said.
