Ebonyi kidnap: Former lawmaker denies involvement

A former member of the House of Representatives, who represented Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo Federal Constituency, Linus Abba Okorie, has denied involvement in the abduction of Amos Ogbonnaya.

Okorie, while reacting to the allegation, described it as “false, concocted, childish, unfounded, unintelligent, imbecilic and, evidently, a hollow decoy intended to divert the attention of the public and security agencies from otherwise credible leads pointing strongly in the direction of the APC, its members and authorities in the state.”

The former National Assembly member, however, challenged the Ebonyi APC and its Publicity Secretary to go public with evidence substantiating its various allegations against him and the Ebonyi state chapter of the PDP in the heinous crime.

“As the ruling party in the state, it begs to reason that it has so much evidence of the motive and details of a kidnap, yet has done nothing to rescue the victim so he can narrate his story to the police to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of the culprits,” Okorie wondered.

Okorie then appealed to Governor David Umahi to quickly intervene and ensure that Amos is not killed to cover up the identity of his abductors as the painful memory of Late Ihebunandu Okorie, a former Coordinator in Okposi, and how he was mysteriously murdered is still very fresh to allow a repeat.

“My attention has been drawn to an irresponsible and unconscionable press release by the Ebonyi State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Ogbuatu Chidi Simbad, alleging that I “ordered the kidnap” of Amos Ogbonnaya, one of the embattled former Development Centre Coordinators currently in a running battle with the State Government over issues bordering on their past service and welfare. The infantile argument of the illogical statement is that the victim offended me by attending a reconciliation meeting with an official of the state government that was, allegedly, held in Palm Bay, a public place that is always full of people and activities.

This, in the juvenile and warped interpretation of the Ebonyi APC apparatchik, meant betrayal by Amos.

“Without preempting the eventual outcome of ongoing investigations by the police and other security agencies, I am convinced that whoever authored or authorized that jaundiced press release of the APC knows the abductors and whereabouts of Amos Ogbonnaya, and should be held to account,” he submitted.

“No amount of decoys and sophistry will detract attention from that undenied fact, especially as both the victim and the suspect hail from the same Okposi community and the crime happened on home-ground. I’m confident that whenever Amos is released, the world shall hear his full story. Let it be clearly stated that my long-standing relationship with the good people of Okposi Ezinasato, which is the intendment of the false allegation, remains untainted and flourishing,” the lawmaker reiterated.

Okorie condemned the spate of insecurity in the state and charged the state government to ensure that its officials and organs live well above board, and are not themselves, part of the problem.

He, therefore, promised to make himself available to the police and other security agencies at any time in the course of their investigation of the heinous crime, even as he promised to pursue his right to protect his name and hard-earned integrity against the purveyors of the criminal allegation, should it finally be proven that it was false and unfounded.

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