Cement firm’s director still missing after 84 days

Family  and friends of Olapade  Ojoodidie, a former South-South  Regional Director  at Dangote  Cement Plc, who was abducted  on April 22,  2017  in Rivers State, have urged the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim  Idris, the Rivers State government and other security agencies to intensify efforts  at rescuing the man.

Olopade’s wife, Rosemary, also described the last 84 days without her husband as “harrowing,” but expressed hope that he would be rescued.

The family and friends of the kidnapped director  fondly called Pade, also said that his abductors had yet to  contact them, just as they confirmed that  vehicle and mobile phone of the victim had been recovered by the police.

Tope Orole, the coordinator of the Intervention Committee on Pade Ojoodide, while speaking with newsmen in Lagos State on  Friday said: “Today marks the 83rd day since we last heard  from our brother, who until his disappearance  was a regional director, South South  with the Dangote Cement and based in Warri, Delta State.”

According to him,“ Olapade Ojoodide  travelled to Awka, Anambra State in the early hours of Saturday April 22 2017 to attend an official event, hosted by one of the company’ s major  distributors.”

“He attended the event with three other directors of the company , after which he was presumed to have travelled back to Asaba to check out of the hotel, where he lodged and thereafter headed to Warri  via Port Harcourt and since then, we have not heard from him.”

“The case was immediately reported to the Rivers State Police Command in Port Harcourt and the police authorities had been investigating the matter since then but without any breakthrough.

“While we appreciate the recent efforts of the security agencies  aimed at tackling the menace   of kidnapping  and other crimes across the nation , we are worried that the continued delay in the rescue operations might lead to grave consequences  that are hard to imagine”, he added.