Alarmed by the increased spate of kidnapping in Rivers State, Governor Rotimi Amaechi has called on organised labour to join the effort at mobilising society against attempts by a few criminals to terrorise and hold hostage the entire state.
Also, the state civil service commission has been instructed to commence the immediate recruitment of Rivers indigenes in places where there are vacancies, particularly as �a list of unemployed Rivers persons has been compiled�.
Amaechi who spoke at the Workers Day celebration, yesterday, in Port Harcourt, drew attention to the level of harm incidents of kidnapping was causing the state�s economy because of the folding up of businesses and the fleeing of foreigners and Nigerians alike.
�We have succeeded in restoring law and order to a large extent and restored the confidence of our people in the ability of the system to check the excesses of miscreants. But we must agree nonetheless that we are faced with a new challenge � the damnable kidnap of women and children in our midst.
Those that are doing this are evil men who wish to intimidate our people and force us to live in fear and by the codes that they set. They are the people who have no respect for morals, decency and order.
They are terrorists masquerading as freedom fighters and criminals who have found a new way of making a living with loaded guns under the guise of a so-called Niger Delta struggle�.
Amaechi said �the Niger Delta of our dream and birth is under threat and the activities of these misguided persons are gradually bringing the economy of the region to a halt.
Oil companies are gradually pulling out. Soon our people working in these firms would have no jobs.
Now, they are turning attention to our children and wives. They are taking them hostage and demanding ransoms in millions of naira. Nobody, not even those of you who are here know who would be next�
Accordingly, he appealed to every resident of the state to aid the police in fighting the new trade in humans, stating that �given the membership of labour and its capacity for mass mobilization, labour could contribute meaningfully to the eradication of kidnapping.
There is nowhere in the world where the police or security agencies are solely responsible for the protection of citizens and the safety of their property. Our people can help in reporting suspicious movements in their vicinity. They can contribute by disclosing the hideouts of evil men who prey on society�.