About 63 people were arrested on Wednesday in Ozanogogo town, Ika South local government area of Delta State by soldiers of 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in connection with the kidnapping of Prof. Kamene Okonjo, wife of the Ogwashi-Uku Monarch and mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Over 30 soldiers stormed the town in the evening when the men of the small community were returning from their various farms and other places of work.
“According to the reports from my people, soldiers from the 4 Brigade in Benin invaded the town in the evening of Wednesday, and arrested whoever they see. My younger brother, Gaius, who was returning from farm was arrested. Two of my cousins were also arrested with one of their in-laws who came from Benin where they were meeting to arrange the burial ceremony of their father.
“Come to think of it; what would a kidnapper who was demanding hundreds of millions of Naira be doing in the farm? I am of the opinion that security operatives should make arrest based on security and intelligence reports, rather than engaging in indiscriminate arrest of innocent farmers who know next to nothing about kidnapping,” Jerry Opute lamented.
He therefore called on relevant authorities to look elsewhere for the kidnappers of the Monarch’s wife and release their innocent kinsmen whom he said were “mere farmers still struggling to cope with the shock and after effect of the flood that sacked their community.”
The Public Relations Officer of the 4 Brigade, Captain Rose Managbe, has confirmed the arrest of the 63 suspects to newsmen.
If inhabitants of ogwashiukwu had travelled out of d community after the kidnap,they would ve labeled that individual a prime-suspect AND when u choose to remain,u are not even safe from d security agencies and their indiscriminate arrests