By Austin Ogwuda
ASABA—DELTA  State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Mr  Osita Biose, yesterday narrated  his ordeal, after himself and the Delta State delegates,  escaped death by whiskers, when a gang of kidnappers struck in Abia State on Sunday.

The Delta NUJ boss in a statement in Asaba,  yesterday,  joined the NUJ National President,  Mallam Mohammed Garba in  pleading with the kidnappers of some journalists,  to urgently  release them without harm, adding  “journalists are harmless people and as such they should be protected and catered for since they represent the interest of both the downtrodden and the generality of the people.”

Biose said the bus conveying the Delta team was riddled with bullets, noting that “it was only by the grace of God that I am alive although the bus was damaged.”

He added, however, that it was shocking that the policemen approached  while escaping from the hands of the kidnappers were not  sympathetic but rather were asking for bribe. According to him, “even in the face of the ugly incident and eventual escape of Delta State contingent, the police officers we ran to could not help us without demanding money for logistics. This is unfortunate.”