GUNMEN KIDNAP MOTHER OF RIVERS HOUSE LEADER

Mrs. Fedelia Chioma, mother of the Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr Golden Ngozi Chioma, was yesterday abducted by gunmen in Port Harcourt, the State capital.

Witnesses said that six gunmen seized Mrs. Chioma, whose son had just returned from a capacity-building training in Australia. The incident occurred at the Orumenike Universal Basic Education (UBE) Primary School in D-Line, Port Harcourt where she is a teacher. The lawmaker could not be reached yesterday.

A teacher at the school, who pleaded anonymity disclosed  that one of the kidnappers came to the school under the guise of inquiring about the processes involved in the registration of a child. The suspect later left and promised to bring the child for registration on Monday.

The source explained that soon after he left the school, a Navy-blue Nissan Lancer car drove into the premises while the pupils were on break. The six gunmen alighted from the car. To conceal their sinister intention, the gunmen allegedly told some officials of the school that they were Mrs. Chioma\'s relations and that they wanted to collect a prospective child\'s uniform.

According to him, \"they told us that they were from Etche and that Mrs. Chioma was expecting them. Before they were allowed into the classroom where she was, the people claimed that the money for the uniform they came to collect was paid to Mrs. Chioma. If they had told us that they wanted to pay, we would have directed them to the appropriate office.\"

As soon as the gunmen saw the lawmaker\'s mother, they brought out their guns and asked her to follow them. The woman initially resisted, insisting that she was going nowhere but she was overpowered by the bandits who dragged her into their awaiting car.

Another teacher said: \" Mrs. Chioma resisted the gunmen for a while but they started pushing her towards their car. They were all carrying guns. It was a terrible situation. These men have not only abused her fundamental human rights, they have violated the sanctity of our school.\"

Though there was no gunshot, the incident caused pandemonium in the school. Hapless and traumatised teachers and pupils hurriedly left the school premises, fearing that the gunmen might return.

When contacted, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Ierju Barasua, confirmed the kidnap. She said no ransom demand had been made at press time yesterday.

According to her, \"we have received report that the mother of the leader of the state House of Assembly was abducted today (yesterday) by gunmen. \"Although we don\'t have details of what happened, we are told that the incident took place at the UBE Primary School at D-Line.\"

She also confirmed that Mrs. Rose Deemor, mother of the out-gone chairman of Tai Local Council had been released by her abductors. The police spokesperson said the aged woman was abandoned at the Kaa waterside and rescued by the police in Bori.

The Commissioner for Information, Ogbonna Nwuke recently described those involved in the kidnapping of women and children for the purpose of extorting money from their relations as modern day slave traders.