Rivers NAWOJ Calls For Investigation Into Alleged Kidnap Attempt In Rivers Community

Edith CHUKU

The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists NAWOJ, Rivers State chapter, has charged the State police command to immediately swing into action and investigate the alleged attempted kidnap incident in Rivers Community.

Recall that two persons, suspected to be child kidnappers, were reportedly apprehended, on Friday, July 21, 2023, by the Nchia Security Council of Eleme Local Government Area.

The suspects were said to have been caught, allegedly assaulting a little girl who sells Garri at Pipeline, close to Zina Motel and immediately handed over to the Eleme Police Division for further investigation and prosecution.

The report also stated that the suspects after series of questioning, confessed to using rings discovered in their bags to hypnotize their victims.

The escapee of the alleged incident explained that they asked her to sell Garri to them after which they insisted, she follows them to collect her money.

She claimed her refusal angered them and they began to beat her up. The little girl continued that the beating attracted people around, who helped in apprehending the suspects.

The NAWOJ Chairperson, Susan Serekara-Nwikhana, and Secretary, Ngozi Anosike in a statement made available to newsmen,  expressed dismay at the high rate of kidnap cases in the state and country at large.

They wondered the crime women and girls committed that they are mostly victims of many forms of brutality, vices and violence.

While applauding the efforts of security agencies in apprehending suspects, NAWOJ said, “it is with great dismay that we wonder what sin, what crime a woman committed for being woman. Who did a girl offend for being born a female?

“You talk about rape, women, girls are the victims, sexual and gender-based violence is against women and girls, talk about ritual of any kind, women and girls are mostly targeted, we ask again, what is the crime of women, what sin is there to be born a girl?

“It is with tears in our eyes that we make this passionate appeal to the police that they should leave no stone unturned in unravelling the people behind these inhumane acts, and if found guilty, they should face the full wrath of the law.

The women journalists maintained that, “given the harsh economic realities on ground, mothers, women are already facing a lot, how can women and girls be put into such state of fears when moving on the road to work out their daily bread?

“These women are people’s mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties, wives, how did human lose sense of humanity that people are willing to take the lives of others in exchange for money that is vanishes?

“NAWOJ Rivers State wants to use this medium to reiterate the need for strengthened actions, resources to address these menaces against women and girls. We call on parents, teachers, professional organisations, religious leaders, security agencies and concerned citizens of the country to take definite stand against all these. Preach it from the altar, say it in schools, that life of a human being worth more than anything else, no one has the right to take it.

“Violence against women and girls have reached pandemic proportion, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Rivers State is calling for strengthened actions and resources to address the menace.”