Kidnappers of Abia based journalist, Mr. Chucks Onuoha have demanded for N10 million
Some gunmen had on Tuesday night kidnapped the former correspondent of Sun Newspapers, Mr Chucks Onuoha from his Umungasi, Ohuhu Umuahia home.
Meanwhile, the Abia State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has said it received with great shock, utter bewilderment and despondency, the unfortunate abduction of one of its members, Mr. Onuoha, by gunmen.
Mr Onuoha, a former Abia State Correspondent of The Sun Newspapers, was kidnapped at his Umungasi Ohuhu family home in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State at about 10 p.m Tuesday night, according to family sources.
The incident has left the Council at a loss as to why kidnappers would pick on a journalist whose only wealth is the byline he gets in the media.
A statement by the NUJ signed by Comrade Victor Ndukwe, Chairman and Comrade Adaeze Ralph Igbokwe, Secretary stressed: “Journalists are change agents who ensure that society functions with correct information to engender socio-economic development. Journalists are like people who bear enlarged scrotum but would eagerly prefer to labour with every amount of commitment to ensure that the pimple on the face of the man on the street is treated while enduring the excruciating pain of his enlarged scrotum. The Council fears that Journalists are fast becoming endangered species in the state in the evolving trend as this is the third of such ugly story.
“Assuming but without conceding that Mr Onuoha may have offended anyone in the course of discharging his journalistic functions, resorting to jungle justice or taking the law into one’s hands is never the way to go, it is an ignoble act in this age and era of civilization. The law courts are there. Or, better still, any person aggrieved by any perceived professional misconduct of a journalist is encouraged to report the journalist to the Union which would apply its constitutionally approved correctional method and measures in handling such issues.
“We hereby passionately appeal to his abductors to quickly release him unharmed to enable him to reunite with his agonizing family. We also call on all security agencies in the state to swiftly swing into action to secure the release of Mr Onuoha, even as the Council urges the government to deploy all its security apparatchik for the rescue of Mr. Onuoha and to institute water-tight security measures that would eradicate the menace of kidnapping which seems to resurging in the state.
“We urge society to strive to create the environmental ambience capable of encouraging the journalist to practice his or her profession without let or hindrance. A society where journalists are not allowed to discharge their onerous responsibility of galvanizing society for socio-economic transformation and political advancement is doomed.
We must all rise up and change this ugly trend.
Some unidentified Gunmen on Tuesday night kidnapped Mr. Onuoha from his Umungasi, Ohuhu Umuahia home.
According to the President General of the community, Mr Suleiman Anyalewechi, who confirmed the incident in Umuahia, Onuoha was kidnapped around 9:00pm last night at his village.
He said the secretary of the community contacted him last night to inform him that some men came and took Onuoha away, adding that they were not sure what it was all about until this morning when the kidnappers established contact with the family that he is in their custody.
Though Mr Anyalewechi could not confirm if they have demanded any ransom, other sources informed that the kidnappers have demanded for N10 million ransom before they could release their victim.
This is the second time a journalist would be abducted in Abia state, the first was Ugochukwu Ugorji Eke then The Nation reporter who was kidnapped in front of his residence at Aba.
The abduction of the journalist is coming on the heels of the kidnap of Dr Iweha, the CMD of ABSUTH which has led to protests by the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Abia state
