Former President Goodluck Jonathan has vowed not to pay ransom being demanded by the kidnappers of his 72-year-old uncle and foster father, Chief Nitabai Inegite. Inegite, a retired lecturer with the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, was abducted from his Otuoke country home, Bayelsa State on February 17 alongside his younger cousin, Samuel Oki (35).
But two days later, fishermen found Oki’s body floating on Otuoke River. Inegite was earlier kidnapped in April 2014 in his house but was rescued by the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, at Akipli community. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Peter Ogunyanwo, disclosed the former President’s stance yesterday in Yenagoa during the parade of 37 armed robbery and suspected kidnappers at the command headquarters. The police boss commended Jonathan’s decision not to pay ransom in order to discourage kidnapping.
He said: “On the kidnap of the foster father of former president Gooluck Jonathan, Chief Inegite, I have met several times with the former president on the matter and he has insisted that he is not going to pay ransom. “The kidnappers have reduced their ransom to about N2 million but the former president said he would not pay ransom. We are on the trail of the kidnappers and we would get them. “People should not pay ransom.
Just like Governor Seriake Dickson also did not pay ransom for the freedom of his sister, people should be discouraged to pay ransom so that the business of kidnapping would stop.” According to Ogunyanwo, since he resumed duty in the state, the command has put in place robust crime strategy which has culminated in the arrest of 37 suspects in different parts of the state.
The commissioner said that while criminal elements were devising various ways to beat security network to commit crime, the command was up to the task to combat crime. Ogunyanwo also disclosed that his men foiled a kidnap attempt on the Chairman of the State Environmental Sanitation Authority, Hon. Robert Enogha. The police chief urged the public to come with useful information that would prevent criminals from operating in the state.
