LANCEGUARDS- UPDATE

News & Security Updates

Monarch’s Son Kidnapped, N50m Ransom Demanded

Kidnappers struck again in Port Harcourt, taking 13- year-old Echemadu Eke, son of Eze Gbakagbaka of Evo Kingdom, His Majesty, Frank Eke, while on his way to school, demanding N50 million ransom.

The boy, who attends Bereton Secondary School, Mgbueshilari, was accosted by the kidnappers and taken away.

When THISDAY called the monarch, he sounded distraught and insisted that he can talk on any other subject apart from the kidnap.

The kidnap of Echemadu is the third case of kidnap in two weeks in the city, where the Joint Task Force have since taken over security since the inter-cult clashes paralysed social and economic activities.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Felix Ogbaudu, while confirming the story said that they have mobilised their men, while the SSS has also thrown its dragnet to ensure that the boy was released.

Ogbaudu said the boy lived in the village and was not staying with his father in the palace. He went to school in public transport in the morning and in the evening when he was supposed to come back home, he was not seen and the search for him started,” he said

Sources said the State Security Services (SSS) hastaken over investigation and is making progress.

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Militants threaten to attack oil installations

The Nigerian oil industry stands the risk of militant attacks very soon if the Federal Government fails to repeal the Land Use Decree and some other laws that entirely withhold ownership of natural resources from the people of the Niger Delta.

A militant group, the Grand Alliance of the Niger Delta, which issued this threat on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, also said it would target the Rivers State Government House and the homes of selected people of Rivers State for destruction if the state government went on with its plan “to displace people that live on the waterfronts in Port Harcourt.”

Addressing journalists on behalf of the organisation, its President-General, Abiye Toru, and the Secretary-General, Samuel Ebiye, said the Niger Delta issue had gone beyond the era of negotiations as several negotiations had been held without progress.

They said they had no confidence in the upcoming presidential Niger Delta stakeholders’ forum which they said would be attended by the wrong people, whom they accused of being responsible for the current predicament of the region.

“Mr. President knows what to do to repeal these laws that have enslaved us. We cannot be going for stakeholders meetings when we still have all these obnoxious laws. We don’t want to negotiate,” they said.