63 Suspects arrested in Okonjo-Iweala’s mum kidnap saga
Security agents have embarked on a rampant arrest in battling the kidnap by unknown gunmen of Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s mother.
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Nigeria security forces have embarked on
arrest jamboree in Delta state as the Federal government embarks on
determined search for the whereabouts of Professor Kamene Okonjo.
The mother of former World Bank director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was
kidnapped from her home on Sunday in Ogwashi-uku, Delta state. Nigeria's
army said on
Thursday that soldiers had arrested 63 people in raids as they searched for the finance minister's 82-year-old mother.
"Yesterday the Four Brigade raided
Ogwashi-Ukwu in house to house search of Mama," army spokeswoman
Roseline Managbe disclosed today.
"Those arrested are being questioned," she added.
It was still not known whether the
abduction of Kamene Okonjo, mother of former World Bank director Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, in Delta state, was political or for financial gain.
Africa's top oil producer has one of
the world's most prolific kidnapping industries, yet Sunday's abduction
shocked even residents of Delta state, thought to be Nigeria's worst.
Managbe said two Lebanese men
working for Nigerian construction company Setraco had been abducted on
Tuesday in Delta state by gunmen who killed a soldier protecting them.
Residents of the Niger Delta oil
region, where Okonjo-Iweala's mother was abducted, live in fear of the
near daily abductions that make millions of dollars in ransoms for
gangs.
"It could be my turn tomorrow," said Tony Agwu, who lives near Okonjo's house.
"It's a terrible situation down
here. The security agents in the Delta are compromised," he added,
voicing the widely held view that security forces are often complicit.
The police said on Wednesday that two policemen have been arrested on suspicion of helping kidnappers.
Nigerians say December is the most
dangerous month for kidnapping, when criminals need money to buy
Christmas presents. The delta is no exception.
"Around this time, I start to get
worried," said Shopia Oko-Akoko, a civil servant and mother of two in
Bayelsa state, adding that she often looks over her shoulder entering
her car.
"Many times I've seen cars following me. Once someone followed me on foot and I ran off in terror as he approached."
Okonjo's kidnapping is a risky strategy for the abductors.
"If it's just a kidnap for ransom,
then they're not the smartest boys in the world," said Peter
Sharwood-Smith, Nigeria country manager of security firm Drum Cussac.
"Everybody else learned that you don't pick the most high profile. It's not worth it. This might not end well for them."
Nigerian forces have little
tolerance for kidnappers, whom they often shoot on sight when they catch
them - as they did in November to 13 people suspected of abducting a
Turkish man.
Cases of kidnapping in the Niger
Delta exploded in around 2006, during the years of militancy by armed
groups often targeting expatriate oil workers. An amnesty in 2009
officially ended militant activity, yet associated crimes, like oil
theft from pipelines and abduction, have, if anything, worsened.
"Kidnapping is worse than during the
militancy period, but it's mostly rich Nigerians who pay up and you
never hear about it," Sharwood-Smith said.
Political motives have been
suggested for the abduction. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's drive to reform a
corrupt economy ruffled powerful vested interests, especially fuel
importers.
A security source in Delta state said Okonjo was involved in local politics and seizing her may have been a scare tactic.
Either way, recruiting kidnappers is easy in a region where oil wealth sits along side mass unemployment.
"Whatever the motive, the main cause
is joblessness," said Felix Osaduwe, a student in Delta state. "Get
them jobs in a bank or a firm, there's no way they'll turn to
kidnapping."
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