Gunmen on Monday in Owerri, the Imo State capital, abducted a Channels Television correspondent, Temitope Kuteyi, and demanded N15 million ransom to free him.
Kuteyi was abducted in his house located along Umuguma Specialist Hospital, Owerri in the early hours of Monday.
Until the time of filling this report, his whereabouts was still unknown.
An eyewitness, a security man, who gave his name as Thomas, said the bandits, numbering about eight, scaled through the fence into the victim’s compound.
Thomas said: “I was in the security room with my brother when someone opened the window and pointed a gun at us and ordered us to open the gate, but I refused.
“While I was arguing with them, I didn’t know that other members of the gang had climbed into the compound through the fence.
“They broke into my oga’s house and brought him out.
“After that, they entered into the next bungalow and smashed all the window glasses, but the man there escaped through the fence at the back.
“They took his car and drove away with my Oga.”
Meanwhile, the abductors who spoke with a friend of the victim, demanded a ransom of N15 million.
A press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Imo State Governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, said the attention of the state government had been drawn to the incident.
Onwuemeodo reminded the kidnappers that the “young man (victim) was only a reporter”.
According to him, those behind the kidnapping have just decided to inconvenience the victim and his family.
“A journalist cannot afford to pay any ransom. To us he must have been a victim of mistaken identity,” he said. (NAN)
