‘We Don’t Have N250m Ransom’

Family members of kidnapped human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, have  said they don’t have the N250 million ransom reportedly demanded by his abductors.

Leader of his kinsmen from Iviukwe community in Etsako North East Local Government Area of Edo State, who led the protest, Comrade Isa Adidi, decried the abduction of their son.

“The kidnappers have demanded for N250 million ransom. We don’t know where he would have gotten such an amount they are demanding because he has never worked in government. He is  a private man who worked assiduously to attain the peak of his career,” he said.

Adidi  noted that  the activist has offered much to ensure that Nigerians live in a just and egalitarian society.

According to him, “he is our kinsman and we love him so much. It is very unfortunate that a man like Ozekhome who has always fought on the side of the masses can be kidnapped.

“We are not giving them ultimatum, all we are saying is for them  to kindly release him unhurt to the people he cared for so much.”

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, has expressed shock at the kidnapping of Ozekhome whom he described as “my good friend.”

Bishop Kukah expressed his shock in a press statement he made available to journalists in Benin.

“On the surface, it is tempting to say that he has joined a growing club of unfortunate and innocent citizens who are daily preyed upon by a hapless generation of conscionable young citizens of our dear country.

“Sure, these are sad times for our country, but the kidnapping of Mr. Ozekhome carries a distinctive ironic ring to it. Here is a fine gentleman in every sense of the word, a hard working professional who has worked assiduously with his bare hands right up to the top of his profession.

“His patriotism and deep commitment to justice saw him at the forefront of the fight against tyranny and dictatorship in the darkest days of our country. He sacrificed his time, family and career and was a victim of some of the ugliest phases of the brutality of those in power. He did all these to give our country in particular and a new generation of young Nigerians a better future.  His humble beginnings and his hard work should be seen by the young generation as ideals to be emulated.

“In the name of God and all that is noble, I call on his captors to release him unconditionally and immediately. I call on our young people to renounce this violent,  ungodly and evil act.”

Kukah said he does not believe that the future of Nigerian youths “depends on the blood money that comes from kidnapping, popular and commonplace as this ignoble cause has become.”

He urged the younger generation to embrace the future with hope, believing that tomorrow is theirs to build.

“I believe that this blood money can only erect a house of cards for now. They should renounce this criminality and turn to pursuing legacies they can proudly hand over to their children tomorrow. I beg for God’s mercies and peace for the souls of  those gallant police officers who surrendered their lives and continue to pray for our security agencies. May Mike regain his freedom soon,” he said.

—Jethro Ibileke/Benin