Four days after abduction by unknown gunmen, a retired Permanent Secretary from Akwa Ibom state civil service Sir Ignatius Brown remains in the kidnapper’s den.
Our Correspondent gathered that Sir Ignatius Brown was abducted at the entrance of his house in Abak local government area of the state last Sunday when he returned from church.
Brown, a native of Etinan Etinan Local Government Area, had been living in Abak, for many years before the incident occurred that fateful day.
An eye witness identified as Mr Aniefiok Marcus told newsmen in Uyo on Wednesday that the hoodlums trailed the retired Permanent Secretary from the church along Abak—ikot Ekpene road and overtook his driver few metres away from his house.
He said, “they (the hoodlums) trailed him from the Saint John’s Catholic Cathedral along Abak -Ikot Ekpene road, and overpowered the driver close to the house at Udokpo street, after shooting sporadically to scare away other vehicles and commuters on the road.”
“When they (the kidnappers) succeeded in halting the Toyota RAV4 SUV of Sir Brown, they bundled the driver out, hijacked the vehicle and speed off with him lying down on the floor of the car.”
He said the car was later recovered as it was abandoned along the Abak-Ekparakwa road after the abductors escaped with the victim to an unknown destination.
Read Also: It is absurd to abandon retired public servants – Bagudu
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko Macdon who confirmed the incident disclosed that one suspect had been arrested and helped the command with the necessary information to track down other members of the gang.
He said: “We have received that report already, and as we speak, preliminary investigation is ongoing. The Commissioner of Police (CP), Olatoye Durusinmi, has detailed the Officer-in-Charge of kidnapping and other Tactical teams to ensure that the victim is successfully rescued and reunited with his family.
“Based on the CP’s instructions, a lot had already been done. We have one person in our custody who is helping us with the necessary information, and I believe that the kidnapped victim will soon regain his freedom.”
Follow The Trumpet on all our social media platforms for more updates:
