By Vincent Ujumadu

AWKA— Anambra State chairman of Action Congress, AC, Mr. Ndubisi Nwobu, who was kidnapped on Sunday night at Ifite area of Awka, was yesterday released by his abductors and is currently receiving treatment at Awka Medical Centre, following gunshot wounds he received from his abductors.

According to one Ugochukwu who claimed to be the brother of Nwobu, the AC chieftain had gone to visit his mother when he ran into the kidnappers.

He added that the kidnappers had originally planned to kidnap Nwobu’s mother but were met by the AC chairman who allegedly offered to give them money.

Ugochukwu said that the AC chieftain took them to his house, ostensibly to get the money, adding, however, that the kidnappers became suspicious when they overheard Nwobu making telephone calls.

“It was then that they pounced on him, dragged him out and shot him on the leg during a scuffle. They, thereafter, drove him away in their car,” he said.

Nwobu was said to be driving in his Toyota Camry car at the time of the incident.

He said further that the family immediately raised an alarm and made contacts with several friends, including the state Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, who swung into action, alerting the police who allegedly trailed the kidnappers to Anambra–Enugu border town of Amansea where Nwobu was eventually released early yesterday.

It was gathered that Nwobu was rescued along with another victim, a staff of a commercial bank in Awka two hours after the abduction, although it could not be confirmed at press time if any ransom was paid before their release.

None of the kidnappers was also arrested yet as they were said to have managed to escape following police chase.

When Vanguard visited the hospital yesterday, the AC chairman was still asleep while putting on short knickers that exposed the wounds on his leg.

Governor Peter. Obi, who visited Nwobu at the Awka Medical Centre in company of the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Philemon Leha, and director of the State Security Service (SSS), Mr. Epkenyong Ita, assured that the state government was determined to make life uncomfortable for criminals in the state.

He noted that the efforts by the government in that respect were already bearing fruit.

“You can see that in the past one month, the kidnappers and those who are trying to terrorize our society are not finding things easy. The police and security agents are doing their job and things are improving and the government would maintain the current tempo,” the governor said.

He ruled out any political motive in the kidnap of the AC chairman, adding that the hoodlums have no respect for anybody and insisted that they would no longer find it easy to operate in Anambra State as a result of measures being put in place.