The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, yesterday, confirmed the abduction of Christian Obodo, when contacted by Sunday Vanguard, saying the police were combing for his kidnappers.
The commissioner, however, noted, “The police are surprised at his abduction as Obodo did not inform us about his presence for adequate security to be provided for him”.
Obodo
Aduba said, “We heard about the kidnap and we are not resting on our oars to track down the people that kidnapped him. If we could provide security for expatriates that come into the state, there is no way we could not have provided security for him if he had informed us”, he said.
A security source said, “The Super Eagles player is a high profile Nigerian and easily a target for kidnappers in such places like Warri and Effurun , and what he should have done was to hint the police about his visit so that they could keep an eye on him to avoid what had just happened.
It was gathered that Obodo who was born in Warri on 11 May, 1984, came to Warri to reunite with some old friends and had attended different clubs on Friday night with friends.
Some informants, believed to be working for a kidnap gang, who witnessed how he showed off in one of the clubs, contacted the kidnappers who tailed him Saturday morning and abducted him, while cruising in his customized car.
Security was beefed up in Warri and environs after the incident as the police patrolled different parts of the city in search of the footballer.
It is believed that those who knew Obodo very organized his abduction on Jakpa Road, Effurun, to fleece money from him, but as at press time, it is not known if they had mentioned any ransom.
His car was reportedly abandoned around New Layout area, also in Effurun by the gunmen to avoid detection, but his whereabouts were not known.
A top security official confided to Sunday Vanguard, “We don’t believe that those who kidnapped Obodo came from the moon, they are around us, they may not even have left town, they could be keeping him somewhere within and around the state to ask for ransom later, so we are not going to take chances”.
“They would want to keep him in a place they think is secure before they begin to ask him to call his family and associates for ransom, but we strongly advise that such information should be passed to security agents to enable us track them down”, he said.
