Senator's wife kidnapped in Port Harcourt

The wife of Senator George Thompson Sekibo of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who represents Rivers East Senatorial District, has been kidnapped in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.The senator's wife, whose name could not be ascertained as at press time, was kidnapped at Obiri Ikwerre, near the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), along the ever-busy East-West Road, currently being dualised by the Federal Government.

The legislator's wife was seized by strange gunmen on Thursday evening and taken to an unknown destination, without any demand for ransom yet.

When contacted for his reaction at 2:54 pm yesterday, the senator's MTN line was permanently switched off.

A source said Sekibo did not want his wife's kidnap publicised.

The Rivers Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, in a telephone interview, said: "I am out of town; please contact my PRO."

When Rivers Police Command spokesman, Ben Ugwuegbulam, was contacted, he confirmed the kidnap of the senator's wife and promised to make the details available later, which had not been done as at press time.

It was learnt that some of the "boys" engaged by Sekibo to prosecute the Thursday, January 5 rerun election, were responsible for the kidnap, alleging that the senator refused to "settle" them.

It will be recalled that the rerun election was at the instance of the Action Alliance (AA) candidate for Rivers East Senatorial District, Mr. Leslie Chizi Michaels-Atata, a lawyer from Ndele in Emohua LGA of Rivers State.

Michaels-Atata earlier protested to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to postpone the election to late February or early March, and to hold it on Saturday, not Thursday, in order not to disenfranchise his teeming supporters.

Michaels-Atata, who is also a senior pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and AA, filed a petition at the Election Petitions Tribunal against their exclusion by the INEC during the April 9, 2011 election, in spite of the order of the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja.

Veronica Umeh-led Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting at the Rivers State High Court Complex, Port Harcourt, nullified Sekibo's election.

Sekibo then proceeded to the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, for the tribunal's decision to be upturned.

The Justice Mohammed Dattijo-led, three-man tribunal of the appellate court, on December 7, 2011, sacked Sekibo and upheld his October 24 nullification by

the election petitions tribunal, with rerun election ordered within ninety days. END.



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