Chairman, Lagos State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Mr. Wahab Oba;  Secretary of the Council, Zone G, Mr. Adolphus Okonkwo; Mr. Shola Oyeyipo, Council’s Assistant  Secretary, and their driver, Mr. Azeez Abdulrauf were kidnapped in Umuafouka junction near Ukwakiri in Obingwa Local Government Council of Abia State, Sunday. Reactions  have continued to trail the incident.
Sympathisers besiege Lagos NUJ House

By Jemi Ekunkunbor

Since the kidnap of the Chairman of Lagos State Chapter of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Wahab Oba and three  other officers of the union, the union’s Ladi Lawal Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, has turned into a Mecca of some sort as scores of angry and worried journalists, past leaders of the union at state and national level and well wishers, have been trooping to the centre to express their concern for the abducted leaders. 

As early as 8a.m., journalists had started arriving at the secretariat and they were seen in small groups discussing the  incident.

One of the early callers to the secretariat was the Special Assistant to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, who came to convey the Governor’s sympathy.

At about 12 noon, reporters converged at the council hall where the Vice Chairman, Mr. Deji Elumoye, briefed members on the ugly development.

He commended members of the union for their support and solidarity since the news broke and dismissed the idea that the kidnap could have political undertones.

According to him, “kidnaping is a serious business in that part of the country, especially Abia State, where the incident took place.”

Wahab Oba , 2nd right with Lagos CP, Marvel Akpoyibo with others, at an event, recently in Lagos.

In a twist to the tale, he said some strange persons had been calling, promising to help with the release of the kidnapped members if N500,000 was paid and a certain amount of recharge cards were sent to them.
Mr. Elumoye called on members as well as family members to be wary of fraudstars who would want to cash in on the situation to dupe them.

The group later went into a prayer session for their kidnapped colleagues.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, has also called for a fasting and prayer programme starting from today. The prayer session will commence at 3p.m. at he council’s secretariat.

 Lagos NUJ calls for prayers

By Olasunkanmi Akoni  & Jimoh Babatunde

LAGOS—Lagos State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, has called on newsmen across the country to go into spiritual warfare by offering ceaseless prayers to God to intervene and bring the captives alive safe and sound.

While reacting to the development, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, a former chairman, Lagos council said: “It is a reflection that Nigeria is fast becoming a failed state. It has become such an embarrassing routine for kidnappers to grab people and ask for ransom. 

“With the state of technology we have, there is still insecurity. The government is failing on its own part on this aspect of security which always take a large chunk of their budget.

“Be that as it may, it is highly unacceptable for kidnappers to target journalists who communicate with general populace. The N250 million ransom is ridiculous as journalists are not oil magnates. It used to be killing, now it has turned to kidnapping.”

He therefore appealed to President Jonathan led federal Government to protect the interest of journalists in the interest of the nation.

He urged journalists and media executives to set an agenda, to demand accountability on how much is spent  on votes. Government should stop pursuing mundane things like zoning and pursue the interest of citizens.

Also Alhaji Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, A Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Power and Legislative Bureau and Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan condemned the action.

 Bamigbetan, who was also a chapel chairman of Vanguard Newspapers, appealed to the kidnappers to have a rethink and release their harmless captives who are fighting for the rights of masses.

He said the kidnappers should be condemned because it is an act of brigandage and an exhibition of reckless lawlessness.

“It is an affront to the Nigeria Press that such a thing could happen to Oba who is a man of peace that always eschew violence in his dealings with the public,’ he said.

“They are not to be at the receiving end of those who use kidnapping as a means of livelihood viisiting such on business men and women.’’

 Bamigbetan, a journalist himself, charged Nigerian journalists to stage a one-day walk-protest against this barbaric attitude if Oba and others kidnapped were not released within the next 24 hours.

He said that the kidnappers were suffering from psychiatric problems hence their kidnap of journalists who strive to represent the voice of the voiceless in the society.

Also speaking, Abdullateef  said that this is a terrible development for the society and the security apparatus of the nation.

“The kidnap tells a lot about the security of the nation since the primary responsibility of any government is the protection of lives and property of its citizenry.

“Mr President should declare a state of emergency in the security sector of the country, since the crème la crème of the society is now targets of kidnappers,’’ he advised.

Abdullateef then appealed to the kidnappers to be humane in their actions and release the NUJ leaders in their domain.

 How they were abducted — Survivors

By Gbenga Akinkunmi

Members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun State Chapter, who escaped being kidnapped, Sunday, have appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of their members who are still in the custody of the abductors.

Recounting their experience to journalists and National President of the Radio, Television and Theatre Workers Union, RATTAWU, Comrade Yemisi Bamgbose, Secretary of the Council, Comrade Wole Shokunbi, who spoke on behalf of the state Chairman, Comrade Tunde Sodeke, and Comrade Yemi Akintunde, described their escape as the handiwork of God.

They spoke as RATTAWU threatened to embark on a nation-wide strike if the abducted journalists were not released within the next 24 hours.

Shokunbi explained that they were on their way to Aba with other members of the Union from Kwara and Delta when the kidnappers’ vehicle suddenly emerged from a bush about five kilometres to Aba.

“Immediately they double-crossed our own vehicle with their own. Initially, we thought they were armed robbers, but our driver meandered the blockage and soon after we left the scene, the kidnappers, one-by-one, jumped from their vehicle and shot the rear tyre of our vehicle, a Delta State NUJ vehicle.

“Despite our punctured tyre, we managed to speed off  until when we got to a nearby village from where we  literally got manna from heaven as an aged man who was on his way with his family  to the day’s church service assisted us.

Colleagues, particularly those from Lagos, who were also traveling in their Council’s space wagon behind us were not so lucky as the hoodlums caught up with them after our narrow escape. Within a twinkling of an eye, they had ordered them out of their vehicle and marched them inside their hideout.

“For us when we got to the village, we were lucky.”

 to have met an old man in his early 60’s who was about to gauge his tyre. We approached him for a ride to Aba.  Because of our psychological trauma we could not inform him of our plight until we got to Aba when we told him what had happened to us.”

Shokunbi continued: ‘’When we got to Aba we reported the unfortunate incident to the a Divisional Police station. The Divisional Police officer immediately swung into action by ordering his officers and men to visit the scene of the incident.”

He described the experience as traumatic and wondered why men of the pen profession had become the target of kidnappers adding, ‘’this is a dangerous dimension to the unholy trade of kidnapping.’’

Bamgbose  who was in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital to sympathize with the NUJ officials, described the incident as unfortunate, disheartening and a national embarrassment.

‘’We have put our people on red-alert as from Wednesday (tomorrow) to begin an indefinite industrial action to register our protest to our governments, both at the Federal and at the state levels to the unholy trade. Certainly the way kidnapping is going in the country, certainly it will destroy the entire society because nobody or group of people will be willing to go to that part of the country for any meeting or any business for that matter. Gradually the unholy trade of kidnapping is degenerating into a situation were serious conflicts will surely arise. We are embarking on the strike to call the attention of those in authorities and the international community to the crime, ’’ The RATTAWU leader lamented.

 … SNG, editors, others demand proactive measures

The Save Nigeria Group, SNG, the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE and the Citizens Popular Party, CPP yesterday urged the Federal Government to tackle the menace of kidnapping headlong.

Speaking against the backdrop of the kidnap of Lagos State Chairman of the NUJ, Mr Wahab Oba and four others on Sunday, the groups described the incident as unfortunate.

SNG Spokesman, Mr Yinka Odumakin, urged the Inspector General of Police to bring the menace under control.

“These latest victims of kidnapping show the level of insecurity in Nigeria. We cannot afford to continue to allow these criminals to hold the nation to ransom’’ Odumakin said.

Also speaking, a member of the Board of the Nigerian Press Council, NPC, Mr Olisa Egbunike, blamed the government and security agencies for treating kidnapping with kid gloves.

He said that the continued incidents of kidnapping, especially in the south-east, could be blamed on greed and absence of job opportunities for youths.

He urged the Federal and State Governments to look into the root causes of kidnapping rather than tackling it on the surface.

Egbunike, a former Secretary of the NUJ, Lagos council, appealed to the kidnappers to release their victims.

CPP National Chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu, noted that kidnapping had become the biggest criminal activity threatening human existence in the South-East.

Okwu also blamed various strata of government for failing in their primary function of providing security for the citizens. “It’s unacceptable that these criminals have become larger than life and cannot be handled by the nation’s security apparatus,’’ he said.

The President of the NGE, Mr Gbenga Adefaye, said kidnapping was unacceptable and should not be tolerated.

He said the continued cases of kidnapping showed that the security agencies in the affected areas had not done enough.

In her reaction, Mrs Fatima Abdulkareem, President of the National Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to wade into the matter.

“There is need for the President to order every security apparatus to join in the search for the journalists and ensure that they are released unharmed. It is a big stain on the nation’s global image if  kidnappers continue to flourish in their activities. We have been clamouring for our professionals abroad to come home, but this cannot be if their security cannot be guaranteed,’’ she said.

 It’s despicable, says Yakowa, Akala

By Henry  Umoru

KADUNA—The Kaduna State Government yesterday described the abduction of  the chairman of the Lagos chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, Wahab Oba, Secretary of Zone G of NUJ, Adolphus Okonkwo, Acting Secretary, Lagos NUJ Sylvester Okereke, a Lagos-based journalist Sola Oyeyipo and the driver of the bus conveying the journalists back from a meeting in Uyo as despicable.

State Governor,  Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, said the abduction was “shocking, worrisome and “unfortunate.”

He said Kaduna citizens were further saddened because the issue would seriously affect socio-economic activities in the area as well as that of the whole country.

Furthermore, Governor Adebayo Alao Akala of Oyo State has said that the abduction of top members of NUJ is a national embarrassment of unimaginable proportion.

According to a statement by the governor’s Special Assistant, media, Mr Dotun Oyemade, more than any singular act lately, the action has opened the entire country to ridicule and sadly has temporarily justified those who view the country’s re-branding efforts with cynicism.

A statement by Yakowa’s Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr. Reuben Buhari said, “His Excellency, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa has condemned in strong terms, the abduction of the journalists which is an affront on the sensibility of all decent people. The kidnapping of the journalists and others that have taken place across Nigeria, sadly and regretfully, highlights the level of moral debauchery that certain characters with no inhibition to bringing pains to Nigerians, have sunk.  It is an act that should not be occurring in any civilized society.
“Consequently, His Excellency pleads with the abductors of the journalists to unconditionally release them to the waiting arms of both their families and journalists across Nigeria. Also, His Excellency commends security forces across the country for their    various efforts in stemming the unfortunate spates of kidnapping within the country and pleads with them not to relent in their quest of ensuring that all Nigerians are secured in their constitutional rights of freedom of movement”.

 It’s terrorist act— AISSON boss

The President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON), Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has strongly condemned the abduction of Mr. Wahab Oba the Chairman Lagos State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists NUJ, three other journalists and their driver in Abia State, and called for their immediate release.

Dr. Ekhomu said the kidnap of the journalists including Adolphus Okonkwo, Sylvia Okereke, on their way from the National Executive Committee (NEC), meeting of the union which took place in Uyo Akwa Ibom State, was very exasperating and uncalled for.

Ekhomu stated that kidnapping is a terrorist act, which endangers the lives of the captives and soils the name of the country in the eyes of the international community.  He urged Nigerian youths to desist from such despicable acts capable of tarnishing the image of our country.

The internationally renowned security expert called on the police authorities under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police,  Ogbonna Onovo to deploy massive law enforcement resources in the search and rescue of the journalists.