Wife Of Elf’s Senior Employee Kidnapped In Port Harcourt

Bolaji Ogundele, Port Harcourt - 17.05.2008

MRS. Ijeoma Anozie, wife of the Deputy General Manager, Joint Venture (Offshore Production) of Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited, Mr Ikechi Anozie, was on Thursday evening kidnapped by yet to be identified gunmen in Port Harcourt.

Saturday Tribune gathered that Mrs Anozie was returning from church at about 8:30pm when the armed men attacked her vehicle along NTA/Mgbuoba Road in the Obio/Akpor Local Government area of Rivers State.

According to sources, the armed men, who defied the rain to carry out the act, dragged her out of her car and pushed her into their waiting vehicle and immediately zoomed off with her.

It was, however, not certain as at press time whether the hoodlums had reached back to their captive’s loved ones to make any demand.

Efforts to reach Mrs Anozie’s husband was not forthcoming, but a senior official of his company who craved anonymity said that the kidnap of the deputy general manager’s wife had been reported to the company and to security agencies in the state.

He said further that the top management of the company had directed that comments should not be made on the matter at the moment, but informed that a senior crisis management meeting had been held in the Port Harcourt office of the company on Friday morning to discuss solutions.

The spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Flush Out 3, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, when reached on phone on Friday, confirmed the development.