Gunmen abduct Bayelsa Speaker’s mother

By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa—Gunmen, in the early hours of yesterday, invaded the riverside Korokorosei community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and kidnapped the aged mother of Mr. Kombowei Benson, Speaker of the state House of Assembly.

The incident, the latest in the series of high profile kidnapping in the blighted Niger Delta, it was learnt, threw the entire community into confusion.

*Mr. Kombowei Benson, Bayelsa state speaker

The 78 years old woman, Mrs. Betinah Benson, was whisked away from her country home at 12.30am according to community sources.

The Speaker, Mr. Benson, could not be reached at press time for comment  but one of his close aides, told Vanguard that the gunmen stormed the riverside community in two speedboats when most of the natives had retired to bed.

On arriving the village, the source said, the gunmen started shooting sporadically into the air to scare away villagers that might resist their operation.

The gunmen were said to have made straight for the residence of their target and took her away to their waiting speedboats before disappearing with the aged woman into the creeks in one of the speedboats.

Though no contact had been established with the kidnappers at press time, Media Assistant to the Speaker, Mr. Piriye Kiyaramo, said the incident had been reported to the police.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Fidelis Odunna, confirmed the incident, saying the command had dispatched detectives and intelligence operatives to the riverside community with a view to tracking down the perpetrators of the crime.