Rivers State Commissioner for Power, Augustine Wokocha, who was kidnapped about a week ago, has been released by his captors.However, one of the two officials of the Federal College of Education
(Technical), Omoku abducted along with him, Dr Richard Ihua Maduenyi,
was not as lucky as he was said to have died in the kidnappers den.
Wokocha was kidnapped in the evening of Saturday, Ocotber 13 around Ede
community, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of state along with
Maduenyi, who was the institution’s Director of Academic Planning and
Statistics as well as the College Librarian, Dr R.F.Quadri.
Although no government official would admit the payment of ransom for
the release of Wokocha, THISDAY gathered that more than N100 million was
paid as ransom for his release.It was also learnt that Wokocha was shot on one of his feet by his captors.
Although not much has been heard about Quadri since his abduction, Maduenyi was said to have died while still with abductors.A close government source, who would not wish to be named, however
confirmed that Maduenyi died as a result of illness and not killed as
some other sources had claimed.
They said it was not true that Maduenyi was shot dead by the kidnappers
to force the commissioner to pay the ransom as claimed by some security
officials.
One of the sources said, “It is not true that Maduenyi was shot dead.
The story is that he was hypertensive and diabetic and when he was
kidnapped, it was not like he was with his medication, so your guess is
as good as mine for him to have been kept for so long.”
