Newly Inducted Lawyer, Chinwe Udoka, Abducted By Hoodlums In Army Uniform

A newly Inducted Lawyer, Peace Udoka, has been abducted by hoodlums who wore Army uniform.

Barrister Onyesom Peace Udoka was one of the 4,437 new Law Graduates Lawyers called to Bar between Tuesday and Thursday last week. She was called to Bar on Tuesday.

After her induction in Abuja, she boarded a commercial bus, Big Joe Transport, on Friday. But she never got to her destination.

Just as they drove past Police and Military checkpoints, close to the Okene Army Barracks, the bus was ambushed by men in Army uniform. They thought the men were, perhaps, on another checkpoint as it was just about 12.noon. They never thought kidnappers could operate, so brazenly, close to both a Police and Military checkpoints, which were also close to a Military Barracks.

They thought wrongly. The hoodlums swooped on them and made away with nine of them.

The Divisional Police Officer at the nearest Police Division to the scene of abduction, disclosed that the Police, in its initial effort at rescuing the passengers, successfully rescued five of them who included the driver of the vehicle.

Said the DPO as reported: “Based on efforts we put in place, we succeeded in rescuing five, including the driver.

“I think they were eight or nine in number. Only four or five are with the kidnappers. Since the incident happened, myself, the (Police) Area Commander, Army and other sister Security Agents, we went inside the bush between 6 and 6.30 in the evening same day. We are building on our efforts to get others out. The vehicle and the driver are with me.”

Barrister Onyesom is one of those still in tye custody of the hoodlums.

On how they met their unfortunate fate, the driver, who spoke in pidgin English was reportedly quoted to have said: “Before the prison yard, e get one Army barracks wey dem build newly for that Okene bush. As we pass that barracks, we now pass the Police checkpoint. E no even reach one kilometer before dem (kidnappers) come out.

“They wear soldiers’ uniforms. Two come out for my front. They shoot. Dem they shoot face-to-face. One day shoot for the back. We come dey their middle. Before they (Security Operatives) reach there, they don’t run away.

“Na six passengers dey took for my motor. The Manager for Abuja call me now say dem Don dey call them for ransom.

“Na only me dey with the Police now. Four others were Police rescue don komot yesterday night. Dey say dey wan return to Abuja.

A friend of Onyesom’s said both of them chatted on the phone till about 12 noon but that she called Saturday morning with a new number at about 7.41am, crying that she had been kidnapped.

Onyesom, a Law Graduate of Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma, Edo State, and the Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus, was headed back to Benin from Abuja when she was abducted alongside other passengers from a commercial bus.

For years, Nigeria has been afflicted by a kidnap epidemic. While thousands have, luckily, been released after ransom has been paid, others were not that lucky. They were killed even after millions of Naira in ransom were paid for their lives.