No fewer than six persons have been kidnapped by gunmen in the last 10 days in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
The PUNCH reported that the kidnappers had demanded ransom totalling millions of naira from family members and relatives of the victims.
First, it was the associate professor with the University of Calabar, David Ugwu, who was whisked away from his home in Atimbo area of the metropolis.
Those who kidnapped him are asking for a ransom of N15m, just as an account worker with the Nigerian Chronicle, Maurice Archibong, was abducted last week Sunday with his abductors demanding N1.5m as ransom.
Also, a businessman, Desmond Oko, was whisked away from his business premises by gunmen last Tuesday. The kidnappers demanded N6m.
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He was set free on Saturday after N2m was paid. Oko had also been kidnapped in 2018 at the same Goldie Street.
Also kidnapped on Garden Street last Wednesday in Calabar were two brothers.
One of them called, Champion, was first kidnapped and when his brother went to pay the ransom, he too was seized by the kidnappers.
Family sources said they were released after the payment of N3.5m.
Also, a Calabar-based socialite, whose identity has yet to be disclosed, was kidnapped on Saturday, Februray 22, 2020 in the Efio-Ete area of Calabar.
Sources close to Igbo businessmen, who are mostly victims of the kidnappings, said the top businessmen had reportedly sent a delegation to the Akwa Ibom State Government to allocate some parcels of land where they can build shops as Cross River was becoming too insecure.
The state Police Command Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, confirmed most of the incidents.
“We are aware that somebody has been kidnapped, but I have not been briefed by the anti-kidnapping squad if at all the matter has been reported to the squad,” she said while reacting to one of the incidents last week Wednesday.
The Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, had said during a TV programme at the weekend that kidnapping and cultism in the state were isolated incidents blown out of proportion by the media.
