A group of Igbo businessmen has alleged that over 50 persons of Igbo extraction have been either kidnapped or murdered in Benue state since this year.
They, however, did not give details, but said that their people in various parts of Benue state, especially Gboko, have become ‘endangered species’ in the north central state.
They alleged that targeted kidnappings and murder of the Igbo in the state by native gangs, suspected herdsmen and bandits have remained unabated and called on the apex Igbo sociocultural organisation to come to their rescue.
A prominent member of the Igbo community in Gboko, Mr. Okafor Nnolim, who spoke to newsmen in Enugu yesterday on behalf of Ndigbo resident in Benue, stated that there was no week an Igbo was not kidnapped or murdered in the state even as they were subjected to paying millions of naira in ransoms.
“We can no longer do our businesses freely for fear of being kidnapped or murdered. Since January this year, we have had over 50 Igbo kidnapped and some murdered in cold blood by bandits and suspected herdsmen,” he said.
Nnolim’s fears and concerns were corroborated by another Igbo resident in the state, Chief Ndukaku, a fabrics merchant, who said their people were really in danger there.
Ndukaku, a trader at the Gboko Central Market, lamented the deteriorating state of insecurity in the state, noting that all efforts to get the security agencies and state government to address the matter had fallen on deaf ears.
“Igbo in Benue State are being systematically decimated and our businesses are gradually being ruined by these kidnappers and bandits,” he lamented.
Also, Mr. Ikem Ani lamented that Igbo in Benue have been subjected to untold hardship and their lives were no longer guaranteed.
According to him, “there is virtually no week that an Igbo is not kidnapped. We have tried to engage the state police command to no avail. We are, therefore, crying out for the world to know the fate of Ndigbo in Benue State.
(Credit: Sun Newspaper)
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