The House of Representatives on Wednesday asked the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali-Baba, and other service chiefs to stop the spate of abduction of Nigerians in different parts of the country.
The House particularly urged the service chiefs to deploy personnel to intensify the raid and combing of the Lilu, Azia, Orsumoghu, and Mbosi communities in Ihiala local government area of Anambra State and dislodge the camps housing hundreds of kidnap victims, including Steady Onome Idisi and Emmanuel Ifie.
The lawmakers mandated the committee on police, army, air force as well as other relevant committees to ensure compliance thereof and report back to the House within two weeks for further legislative action.
The resolutions followed the adoption of urgent public importance moved by Ben-Rollands Igbakpa (PDP, Delta) at plenary.
Moving the motion, Igbakpa noted that on February 20, one Steady Onome Idisi, the CEO of Lonestar Drilling Company Limited, president of Steady Run Club and a notable Rotarian, and his friend, Emmanuel Ifie were kidnapped at Orsumoghu in Ihiala, Anambra State.
“Idisi on the said date checked out of his hotel room in Asaba in the company of his friend, Emmanuel Ifie and proceeded on their journey back to Port Harcourt. They encountered gunmen suspected to be IPOB militants at Orsumoghu in Ihiala LGA of Anambra State”, he stated.
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The lawmaker expressed concern that a well-known Nnewi businessman, Gab Ofoma was on February 20, 2022, killed along the same road by men suspected to be members of the same gang of unknown gunmen terrorising the area.
Igbakpa said the House was “worried that several efforts made to locate Steady Onome Idisi and Emmanuel Ifie have so far proved abortive as their whereabouts still uncertain. He believed the victims may be held in captivity in a camp deep in the Orsumoghu forest where, by the account of an escapee, there is electricity, generators, SUV vehicles, and is like a city of its own, where evil reigns.
“By the same account, over 100 persons are held captive in that camp and are killed intermittently at the pleasure of the bandits.
“Further worried that a situation where non-state actors rule over and dictate the conduct of citizens in a democratic country has been foisted on us. It is unacceptable and must be stopped by legitimate agents of the state entrusted with the security of lives and properties.
“Assured that a properly coordinated and concerted inter-agency intelligence-driven efforts by the police, army and other security agencies in the form of a Joint Operation to continually raid the entire area, as was done in the past, is critical at this point to address this menace in order to dislodge the bandits and release their victims,” the lawmaker said.
