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The families of the two Ministry of Defence staff who were not released with their kidnapped colleagues have cried out while demanding answers.
Recall that six female staff of the Ministry of Defence were kidnapped on Nov. 9 at Kabba. They had been travelling from Lagos to Abuja for a Ministry of Defence promotional exam when they were kidnapped.
According to their families, the women had boarded a bus owned by transport company Andy Liz Motors Limited at First Gate, Festac, Lagos.
The six kidnapped women's names were given as: Mrs Ngozi Ibeziakor, Mrs Catherine Essien, Mrs Helen Ezeakor, Mrs C.A. Ladoye, Mrs Juliana Onwuzurike, and Mrs Chinwe Adline Emeribe.
After ransom was paid, four of the women were released but two – Mrs Chinwe Adline Emeribe and Mrs Juliana Onwuzurike – were not released.
Husband cries out after his kidnapped wife was not released with other freed Ministry of Defence staff
Describing how they were released, a Ministry of Defence staff, who chose not to be named, stated that the kidnappers asked that the ransom be delivered by a driver, so a driver who works with the transport company, that owns the bus the women were kidnapped in, was chosen to deliver the ransom.
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| Mrs Chinwe Emeribe |
He was told to return the women to the park in Festac where they initially took off. However, when he returned with an empty bus, the families present at the park asked questions and he informed them that he dropped off each woman at their preferred bus stops close to their home. He revealed that only 4 women were released to him.
The Ministry of Defence staff stated that since then, no information about the whereabouts of the remaining two women have been provided. He expressed displeasure that the Ministry was not doing enough to find the two missing women or to assist their families.
He also questioned why the driver who escaped and other survivors have not been properly questioned.
The source further questioned why his colleagues were made to travel for the exam which had recently been made to be computer based (CBT) to allow for it to be written from anywhere, so as to minimise risks to civil servants. He said that was the initial plan, for staff to take the exam from whichever state they were located. However, shortly before the exam date, they were suddenly informed that they had to travel to Abuja for the exam and they were not given any extra stipend to aid their travel, he said.
"They would have taken flight if they were given money but they had to go by road because they were paying out of pocket," the Ministry of Defence staff lamented.
Speaking to LIB, Mr Nnamdi Emeribe, husband of the missing Mrs Chinwe Adline Emeribe, revealed that their efforts to get information that will help him find his wife have been frustrated at every turn.
He said they have contacted Command Secondary School, Ojo, which is his wife's primary place of assignment, but they have not received any reasonable help from them. He added that the Ministry of Defence has also abandoned them.
Mr Emeribe said his family reached out to police at Festac to file a complaint after his wife and her colleague were not released with the rest of their colleagues. He explained that the police in Festac told them the case has been transfered to Panti.
He said they visited Panti yesterday, Nov, 26, but made no progress. According to him, the Anti-Kidnapping unit at Panti, informed them that the bus company they boarded to Abuja sent a lawyer and he came and told them there was no suspect.
While they were there, the officer in charge tried to reach the transport company's lawyer to invite him and the two drivers – the driver who took them to Abuja and escaped during the kidnapping and the one who took ransom to the kidnappers. However, the company lawyer didn't answer his calls.
Mr Emeribe also said their efforts to get information from his wife's released colleagues have been unsuccessful, as their family members are shielding them, stating they are in hospital recovering from trauma.
Mr Emeribe expressed his disappointment that neither the Ministry of Defence, Command Secondary School Ojo, nor the Union his wife and other staff belong to, have offered any assistance or resources towards helping their cause.
Mr Emeribe told LIB: "Ministry of Defence where they work, nobody has heard anything from them, nothing. They are not showing concern, they are not telling us anything.
"Since this incident occurred on Nov. 9, we have not heard anything from them. Nobody is moved to search for these women. Even the union they belong to have not said anything."
Asked if he has heard from the family of the other missing woman, he said: "Yes, we've been going together. We've been working hand-in-hand with the family of the other woman.
"We are supposed to go back to police today (Nov. 27) but our lawyer called and said the officer in charge said the company's lawyer and the drivers cannot come to Panti today and tomorrow, that they have made statement. Nobody told us anything about statement."
He begged for help to find his wife and her colleague so their families can have peace.
Mr Emeribe said: "Let the word know, I don't know why somebody should be working for a government department like this, something happened to her on official assignment. She was asked to go to Abuja for promotional exam if not she would have stayed in Lagos. Yet they are not doing anything to ensure they are fished out dead or alive. Is it proper?
"The ransom we paid, they did not in any way come to our aid. We paid ransom by ourselves, yet we have not been able to see our beloved wives up till now."
Mr Emeribe said the Director of the transport company was responsible for negotiation of ransom and the transport company also brought a part of the ransom while the families of the victims brought the rest.
"My family paid six million four hundred and twenty nine thousand for just my wife," he said.
"Chinwe is my wife. If my wife is alive let them fish her out, let me see her."