Gunmen kidnap Bayelsa lawmaker’s wife

Bolaji Ogundele, Port Harcourt - 19.03.2008

GUNMEN on Tuesday abducted Mrs. Dorathy Otele, wife of a member of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, from her beauty salon on Ada George Road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Almost immediately they abducted her, the hoodlums sent words to her husband, Franklyn, demanding a N400 million ransom for her release.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the hoodlums, six in number and dressed in mobile police uniforms, ordered Mrs. Otele to follow them to an undisclosed police station for an offence that was not mentioned.

The hoodlums, however, could no longer cover their intent when neighbours of their victims started coming out to question them. They reportedly brought out weapons and started shooting into the air.

The husband said the hoodlums had contacted him and had demanded a N400 million ransom, adding that he had received a threat to this effect about a month ago, but that he did not take it seriously.

He said the hoodlums had called back to reduce the demand to N200 million, adding that they said they abducted his wife so as to force the Bayelsa State government to pay them the money.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State police command, Mrs Ireju Barasua (DSP), confirmed the incident, saying investigation had begun into it.