Nigeria: Four abducted journalists rescued

  1. Posted on Monday 19 July 2010 - 08:42
    Samuel
    Image of Samuel
    Samuel Okocha, AfricaNews reporter in Lagos, Nigeria Photo: Prayer session for released journalists
    Four local journalists and their driver have been released unharmed by gunmen in Nigeria's southeastern oil region on Sunday. They have been in captivity for close to a week. Wahab Oba, one of the rescued Journalists, told newsmen that for seven days, they never stayed in a place for four hours.
    Nigeria journalists
    The kidnappers ambushed a convoy of cars carrying the journalists in the southern state of Akwa Ibom last Monday as it approached Aba, in neighbouring Abia state.

    "Due to the pressure from various quarters, the kidnappers had to release us this morning," Oba also the chairman of the Lagos state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, told reporters shortly after being freed.

    He added: “It was continuous movement because the police was closing up on the hoodlums and we must sincerely appreciate the Nigerian police for that wonderful job''

    The kidnappers had reportedly abandoned their victims in the market square in the early hours of Sunday before the police rescued them few hours later without any payment of ransom earlier demanded by the kidnappers. The journalists were however robbed of 3 million naira cash durring their ordeal with their abductors.

    A prayer session was held last week in Lagos for the journalists kidnapped along with their driver while returning from a meeting of the National Executive Council of the NUJ which took place in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

    The head of the NUJ of News Agency of Nigeria chapel, Dele Akinsola who opened the prayer session said without the timely intervention of the police, the journalists would have remained in the hands of the kidnappers.

    "If not for the intervention of the police who have moved in and then try to tell the DPOs, the Area Commanders, the Commissioners of Police that their jobs are on the line if they don't produce those journalists, I guess without the intervention of the Inspector General of Police and Mr. President, I am not sure the journalists would be out by now," the journalist and unionist said.

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