Unknown gunmen who kidnapped Madam Goldcoast Dickson, mother of a member of the House of Representaives have demanded for N500.000 consultation fee before opening up negotiations.
Aside the consultation fee, the kidnappers through a telephone calls are said to be demanding for between N15million and N20million ransom before releasing the 70-year-old woman.
His son, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday evening said that since the incident happened two days ago, he has been receiving telephone calls from various groups demanding for a ransom.
He said, “one of the groups gave me the name, the account number and the bank to lodge the money but I have made my stand known that I am not ready to part with even a dime.”
“If they are not ready to kill her, they should return her, but if they want to do otherwise, they should be kind enough to tell me where they are dropping her corpse so that I can give her a befitting burial”, the federal lawmaker said.”
He said he wanted the matter to be thoroughly investigated, saying the police should get to the root of the matter and bring the culprits to book. “I am not ready to part with any amount, no matter how small, the act is criminal and should be discouraged. Imagine people going to my village, kidnapping my aged mother when the woman was sleeping. Imagine the mental torture. They have even killed the woman spiritually.
“She has never experienced that kind of situation before. She was threatened with gun. She even resisted but over 400 rounds of ammunition were dispensed in my community.
“The youths from my village pursued them with a flying boat but were unable to catch up with them because their boats were faster”, she said.
Describing the act as criminal, Hon. Dickson said having served the state at the level of Ijaw Youth Council, Ijaw National Congress and even as the immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, he was surprised that people could pay him back that way.
The Chairman, House of representative Committee on Justice said he even felt for state government because of the kind of image the act of hostage taking is giving the government, adding that it is now becoming a recurring event there.
Oct212007