The gunmen who kidnapped the mother of the Speaker of the Bayelsa House of Assembly have demanded a ransom of N50 million before they will release the 70-year-old woman.
But the Speaker, Hon. Werinipre Seibarugu, has called the bluff of the kidnappers, asking them to keep her if they so wished.
This development is coming on the heels of the one-week hunger strike embarked upon by Bayelsa lawmakers to protest the kidnap of Madam Hansel Seibarugu. They said the old woman did not deserve to be so �callously treated�. They demanded her immediate unconditional release.
The Speaker�s mother was kidnapped last Tuesday by five gunmen who are demanding N50million ransom for her release but the speaker has vowed not to succumb to their demand.
The House Deputy Speaker, Hon Nestor Binabo, who presided over yesterday�s sitting, said the hunger strike was in protest against the spate of hostage-taking in the Niger Delta and to tell the world the collective resolve of members to join hands with well-meaning Nigerians and the international community to tackle the problem.
The lawmakers, who all appeared in black suit as a mark of protest against the kidnap of the woman, described the kidnap as a dangerous trend and a threat to the law-abiding citizens of Bayelsa State and the nation in general.
The only female member of the house, Mrs. Rubby Benjamin, in an emotion-laden voice, said as a mother herself she was deeply touched by act describing it as �inhuman and barbaric�.
Members of the House later visited the speaker at home.
Receiving the lawmakers, the speaker thanked them for their concern in his moment of trial, saying the visit by his colleagues had breathed life into him.
He added that in spite of what had happened he would remain undaunted in his resolve to render �selfless service to the state� and that the kidnap was a test of his faith in the country.
The hunger strike was part of a seven-point resolution raised under a motion of matters of public importance by Hon. Nadu Karibo representing Ogbia constituency during an emergency sitting yesterday.
Apart from adjourning sitting of the house for one week as a show of solidarity, the lawmakers also appealed to the major socio-cultural organisations of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) to urgently wade into the matter to ensure the release of the speaker�s mother, fondly called �Mama Yenagoa.�
In Port Harcourt yesterday, three youths from Omoku aged between 22 and 35 years were paraded by the police for alleged kidnapping of two sisters, Ada Okpe (18) and Akudo Okpe (10) on July 24, 2007.
According to the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu, the trio of Ndubuisi Nwaso (35), Tata Ezi (20) and Evans Orike (22) had taken the two sisters hostage and demanded N500, 000 from their parents, one of who works with Agip Oil Nigeria.
Luck however ran out on them when the Omoku youths leader decided to cooperate with the police to lay ambush for the suspects where they were going to take delivery of the money.
Ogbaudu said that since the parents of the sisters had played along with them and negotiated the amount down to N200, 000, they asked that the money be deposited at a point called the �evil forest�.
When the Okpes called them that the money had been deposited there, they went to collect it and the police with the Omoku youths who were lying in wait for them swooped on and arrested them and then released the girls.
However, when THISDAY asked Nwaso to explain what happened, he denied arranging the kidnapping of the girls but said he was approached by Ada Okpe to arrange her kidnap so that she could make money with which to set up a small business for her mother as the father was �stingy� towards her.
He said the brother of the girl was aware of the plan as he told him but said the mistake he made was in not informing her father before the plot was carried through.
A police source told THISDAY that little Akudo had gone to buy an item at about 10pm. When the sister waited for her without seeing her, she raised an alarm and started looking for her.
A boy who told her that he saw her sister walking through a track road later grabbed Ada and gagged her. Thereafter, they got the number of their parents from the small girl and called the parents to make the negotiation.
Ogbaudu vowed that if it turned out that any of the girls was violated, it would make the case worse for the culprits. He commended the role played by the youths in arresting the culprits and the brain that sent them to kidnap the girls.
A syndicate which specialises in drugging people and taking away their vehicles operates through one Sunday from Omoku who said he hires vehicles from leasing companies with their drivers who he drugs at hotels with �Artisan� and run away with the vehicles to Kaduna where he sells them.
Osah admitted that he has stolen five Hilux vans, one coaster bus and a Hiace Bus which he contacted one Alhaji Abba to buy off him. The Alhaji with his syndicate including a policeman and another senior uniformed officer were also said to be involved.
The money for the buying of the vehicles and keeping them before they were taken to Niger Republic for sale is said to be a high ranking military officer who the police are still on his trail.
The other two linked to the syndicate are Roland Obacha and Lawal Mohammed and allegedly sold the cars which prices range between N3 and N5 million to the syndicate at Between N500,000 and N1.5 million.
Also arrested is a fake DSP Samuel Nwachukwu from Imo State who was apprehended while trying to snatch a Hilux vehicle with Josephat Ezechukwu and two others now at large.
Nwachukwu was caught with a Beretta pistol and some rounds of live ammunition. He said he had been involved in driving stolen vehicles for one Okechukwu who lives abroad before he decided to try his hands on stealing the vehicles himself.
Ogbaudu said they also recovered an AK47 rifle when a lady panicked and dropped a bag containing it and ran away. She left her handbag containing her handset, and bank documents which they hope to use in tracing her.
Jul312007