Amaechi: Why my aide was abducted by gunmen

The Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, on Monday said that the abduction of his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Freddy Ndigbara, was politically motivated.

Amaechi, who spoke through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Tony Okocha, explained that the criminal act had political undertone.

Ndigbara, who also anchors Amaechi’s programmes within and outside Government House, Port Harcourt, was kidnapped by unknown gunmen, who stormed a rally of the All Progressives Congress in Kaani Ward Six, Khana Local Government Area. The hoodlums had come in a red Toyota Highlander, shot into the air, before going for their target and forced him into a waiting vehicle.

He stated that Ndigbara and one of the political leaders in Kaani, Celestine Akpobari, were able to convert over 5,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC pointing out that there was nothing wrong or extra-ordinary in what his aide did since the country was in a political setting where the electorate are being wooed from one political party to another.

“Of course, Freddy Ndigbara’s abduction is politically motivated. We are aware that Ndigbara, in league with the Celestine Akpobari, was able to convert over 5,000 PDP members to APC. There is nothing wrong or extraordinary in what he (Ndigbara) did because we are in a political setting where the in thing now is to win political converts. Winning new convert was what Freddie did before he was kidnapped,” he said.

Amaechi, appealed to his aide’s abductors to release him unconditionally, insisting that Ndigbara meant no harm to anybody as an APC member.