90-year-old father of ADC Edo South candidate abducted

Pa Joseph Iduoriyekemwen, 90-year-old father of Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, the Edo South Senatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been reportedly kidnapped.

It was gathered that armed men who identified themselves as officers of the Nigeria Police Force and of the Edo State Security Network (ESSN), were said to have whisked away Pa Iduoriyekemwen at about 4:00am on Tuesday.

Family sources said the whereabouts of Pa Iduoriyekemwen was not known as at press time.

Speaking to journalists, Iduoriyekemwen said his father was kidnapped, lamenting that they didn’t allow him talk to his father before he was taken away.

Reacting to the incident, the Edo State Government denied involvement in the reported abduction of Pa Iduoriyekemwen, describing it as morally reprehensible.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, condemned the hasty manner the state government was accused of orchestrating the act or linking every incident to politics.

He said it was worrisome that some persons alleged that the incident was politically motivated even when information about the act remained sketchy.

Afegbua noted that the Governor Monday Okpebholo administration has continued to place emphasis on security, adding that that should be appreciated and commended, and not the culture of making political insinuations to score cheap political points.

“What could possibly be the motivation for anyone to abduct such a father and grandfather?

“Governor Monday Okpebholo has invested heavily in our security infrastructure and the level of alertness across the state and Benin City metropolis has been topnotch. This present act of criminality presents a disturbing trend at a time when we thought such an act was no longer possible. As a government, we remain undaunted in our resolve to provide water tight security across the state. The Governor has immediately directed the security agencies to work in collaboration and synergy to seek the release of Pa Joseph within the next twenty-four hours.

“Anyone who has useful information should please avail the security agencies of such information in order to track and arrest the culprit(s) of this condemnable act. The Governor has called on the security agencies to rescue Pa Joseph and safely return him to rejoin his family within the next twenty-four hours.”

Contacted, Edo Police spokesman, Eko Ikoedem, said she would soon issue a press statement on the matter. (The Guardian)