Gunmen kidnap Jonathan’s adopted father in Bayelsa

Some unknown gunmen have abducted President Goodluck Jonathan’s cousin, Chief Inengite Nitabai, in Otuoke, Bayelsa State.

Otuoke is the home state of President Jonathan and Nitabai is the President’s adopted father.
Nitabai, who is said to be the compound chief of Jonathan’s family, was abducted by 10 suspectedbkidnappers about 9pm on Sunday.

It was learnt that when the gunmen stormed the residence of the 70-year-old Nitabai, they initially met one of the victim’s children.

A reliable family source, who craved anonymity, the boy, whose name he gave simply as Silas, quickly ran into the house to alert his father and other members
of the family because it was strange to see visitors at the time of the day.

The source explained that six of the assailants, however, forced their way into the house, while the remaining four stayed outside.

He said the suspected kidnappers ordered Nitabai, his wife, Owiya, Nitabai’s inlaw, Akinobebh Jin and Nitabai’s three children to face down.

The source said some of the kidnappers took Nitabai to one side of the house, while the remaining took Owiya to the upper floor.

Corroborating the source’s account, Jin said they asked Nitabai to bring money and when he told them he did not have, they used the butt of the gun to hit
his head.

She said it was when Owiya gave them N400,000 that they stopped beating the 70-year-old man.
He added that they later whisked him away in his Sports Utility Vehicle.

The 37-year-old Jin said, “The (kidnappers) came to the house around 9pm.
The time they came, Silas was doing his assignment.
Because he saw them as strange people, he ran into the house to tell us.
“As he was telling us, the bandits entered the house
and ordered all of us to lie flat on the floor.
“They asked our father (Nitabai) to bring money.
He told them he did not have any. They were furious and they said, ‘How can you say you do not have money?
You, a President’s cousin!’
That was how they startedhitting his head with the butt of their gun butt.
“After that, they went to where Madam (Owiya) was and asked her to bring money or else they would kill her. She told them she just came back from a trip
and that she did not have enough money.

They followed her upstairs to collect money from her. They
started giving her the beating of her life. She gave them N400,000 and begged them to leave her husband. It was when they came down that they took
our father (Nitabai) away.”
Owiya said the hoodlums locked them inside the house as they drove away with Nitabai.
It was learnt that one of Nitabai’s children, who was not around when the gunmen came, later freed the household.
The spokesman for the Joint Military Task Force, Col.
Onyema Nwachukwu, confirmed the abduction.
He said, “Information available to me is that a certain
Chief Inengite Nitabai was abducted by about 10
unknown gunmen about 9pm at Otuoke community
in Ogbia Local Government Area using his private
vehicle.
“The vehicle was later recovered at Onuebum
community waterfront. The Deputy Commander, JTF,
Commodore Ime Ekpa, and a team of security agents have visited the location to assess the crime scene.”