Bayelsa community leader kidnapped by unknown gunmen

A community leader in Ogbia Town, Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Chief Geoffrey Agorodo, has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

The Nation gathered that Agorodo was whisked away to an unknown place on Friday at about 8:30pm by the four-man kidnap gang.

The gunmen were reportedly dressed in army uniform when the struck at Ogbia waterfront and seized their target.

They were said to have bundled Agorodo into a waiting speedboat and sped off after shooting sporadically to scare people away.

The Chairman of the Ogbia Clan, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Mr. Osaanya B. Osaanya, condemned the incident saying it was one abduction too many in the council.

Osaanya said: “Kidnapping has become a worrisome development in Ogbia. Kidnappers have laid siege in our council and at the last count over five persons were abducted in the past one month. This is unacceptable. Most of the victims were elderly men and women including traditional rulers.”

Osaanya urged youths to desist from criminality and engage themselves in legitimate means of livelihoods.

He asked the state government and security agencies especially the police to evolve a better productive approach of tacking criminality in the council.

He asked the Ogbia local government area to float a security programme to tackle the trend.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Butswat Asinim, confirmed the development and said investigations were ongoing to unmask the identities of the abductors and rescue the victim.