Hundreds of women from Amonye Village, Ishiagu community in Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State yesterday rose in jubilation following the rescue of Mrs Nkechinyere Unachukwu, 43, from the community, who was kidnapped by yet to be identified gunmen last week.
Mrs Unachukwu was abducted along the Amonye forest on her way to the farm where she usually goes to enable her fend for her family and also make a living for herself.
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She was abducted at about 2pm on the 18th of July 2023 and spent about six days in captivity before she was released by her abductors following a manhunt by security agencies in collaboration with the council security operatives led by the chairman, Chief Emmanuel Ajah.
Confirming her release to Leadership Newspaper Ajah said the council had to bring in security trackers from outside the state to track the kidnappers’ movement.
He said the security agents were closing in on the kidnappers and they were forced to release the victim adding that the security agencies are still on the trail of the kidnappers with a view to arresting them.
Ajah explained that kidnapping has almost become a thing of the past in the council area since his administration came into office and regretted that the few kidnapping incidents recorded is as a result of herdsmen who cross the boundary from Abia State to grab women in their farms and run back across the boundary.
The chairman explained that the kidnappers were traced to a place deep inside Abia State before they released the woman when the heat became too hot for them to handle.
He said, “Before I came on board, places like Ojukwu bus stop were like a death trap. Nobody could move around that area. But we mounted surveillance teams in that area and other flash points.
“We continue to work with security agencies and our own local vigilante to ensure we maintain security in the area. Our people can now sleep with their eyes closed,” he said.
He, however, lamented that the cost of maintaining security in the area has risen astronomically due to high cost of petrol used in fuelling the patrol vehicles on a daily basis.
“But we shall continue to do all within our powers to ensure we maintain security because no meaningful achievement can be achieved without security”, he vowed.
Narrating her ordeal, Unachukwu said that she went to inspect her rice farm at the Amonye forest and from there to harvest some cassava when the hoodlums abducted her.
Unachukwu who confirmed that her abductors were mainly herdsmen said that the hoodlums hide on top of trees and on sighting her jumped down from the trees and immediately started beating her with machete.
“They were about five in number and the moment they took hold of me, they started beating me with machete and dragged me into the bush. We trekked inside the bush from 2pm till 6pm. We now had to stop at a place in the bush and slept there, the next morning we continued until we got to a place that looks like a camp.
“A man I suspected to be their leader now came and asked me to contact my people to pay ransom before I will be released. I spent about 6 days with them in the bush before my release,” she said.