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| Ebikeme |
By OLALEKAN BADMOS
After spending days in the custody of kidnappers, Ebikeme,
son of Edwin Clarke, a former minister of information and leader of Ijaw
nation, regained freedom on Sunday.
Ebikeme was abducted by unknown gunmen last week while
inspecting a site of his father’s proposed University of Technology.
He was, however, released in Kiagbodo, Burutu Local
Government of Delta state at the early hours of Sunday.
Sources told WITNESS NIGERIA that before his abductors freed
him, the father resorted to passionate pleading, while the leadership of Ijaw
Youth Congress (IYC) also joined in the search.
A former militant warlord, Government Ekpemupolo (aka
Tompolo) reportedly sent emissaries to Ebikeme’s captors
after identifying their hideout in the creeks before securing the release.
Though the kidnappers were said to have demanded for N60
million ransom for the release, it was not clear whether money changed hand to
free Ebikeme, who reportedly landed in an undisclosed private hospital on Sunday.
While responding to the development on phone, the Police Public
Relations Officer for Delta state command, Celestina Kalu, claimed that the kidnappers
freed their victim when they noticed that the police were closing-in on them.
“You know that we arrested one of them last week and his
members became afraid that he was leaking information to us as we were
closing-in on their hide-out. So, they have to release the victim," she said.
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