Police confirm kidnap of APC chairman

The police command in Abia has confirmed the abduction of the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Chief Donatus Nwankpa, on Monday night.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the command was aware of the incident.

Ogbonna said that the information at his disposal was still sketchy but described the incident as “very unfortunate.”

“It was very unfortunate for such a thing to happen on the eve of the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari for his campaign rally in the state,” he said.

The PPRO said that the command had swung into action and expressed the confidence that the perpetrators would be arrested and made to face the full weight of the law.

The Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Benedict Godson, told newsmen that Nwankpa was kidnapped by gunmen around 11 am on Monday at Osisioma, while on his way to Aba from Umuahia.

Godson said that he was kidnapped along with one of his personal aides, who was later set free by their assailants.

He feared that the kidnap of the party chairman might not be unconnected with the threat by a rival party in the state, working with some bad elements in APC, to disrupt the president’s visit.

He, therefore, appealed to the abductors to release him unconditionally, describing him as God-fearing and a true son of Osisioma Ngwa.