Man Kidnapped Infront Of His Gate As He Returns To Village For Christmas

Pius Egwuekwe, a business man from Zaria, has been kidnapped from his village house in the Ibughubu Umuchu Community of the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State by gunmen believed to be kidnappers.

The incident occurred late on December 23, 2022, just as he and his driver were making their way from Zaria to the village to celebrate Christmas.

According to a source in the community, the gunmen abducted the managing director of People’s Bookshop in front of his home and took him to an unidentified location; no contact has been made since.

A source said, “His driver drove for several hours from the North and on getting home to enter his gate, some armed men accosted the driver at gunpoint, they opened the vehicle and forcefully took him to an unknown place.”

“The matter was reported to the police, who moved into action, but their actions have not yielded any result yet as the victim has not been rescued and no suspect has been arrested till now.”

The incident has left the community in a great state of fear as no one has heard anything about the businessman’s whereabouts for three days, and the victim is rumoured to have had a significant impact on the lives of many residents by catering to their needs.

Some locals believe that the information about the victim’s return to the area may have been leaked by an insider.

The incident was confirmed by the President-General of Umuchu, Mr Charles Ezeabasili, who also stated that the kidnappers had not yet contacted anyone.

Ezeabasili said, “The kidnappers are yet to establish contact with the family members. We are waiting for them to call and probably mention their ransom. We are also being careful so as not to take action that could lead to the kidnappers killing him.”

DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, a spokesman for the state police command, confirmed the event and stated that an investigation is still ongoing.

Ikenga said, “There is no tension in Umuchu, please. There is a reported case of abduction and investigations is still ongoing please.”