Mike Ozekhome, who regained freedom on Thursday after three weeks of
abduction, has appealed to the Federal Government to grant amnesty to
kidnappers in the country. Mr. Ozekhome made
the call on Thursday while recounting his ordeal to newsmen at his residence in
Lagos, after he was released by his abductors on Thursday morning. He was abducted on
Aug.23 at Ehor near Benin City in Edo.
Mr. Ozekhome said
his son, Ilugbeka, and a lawyer in his chambers, Dominic Ezerioha, were also
abducted by the same kidnappers on Sept. 6, while negotiating for his release. According to him,
the kidnappers eventually released him and 12 others about 7 a.m. on Thursday. He claimed not to
be aware if any ransom was paid to secure their freedom. He said the
security situation in the country was a national calamity which demanded urgent
attention.
Mr. Ozekhome
described his abductors as ”angry and desperate well-read graduates” who had a
network of cells across the country. He said during his
interactions with them, they told him that they were pushed into kidnapping due
to unemployment and poverty. The human rights
lawyer said he fell sick twice during his three-week ordeal, adding that his
abductors brought a doctor who treated him for malaria and typhoid.
“As a matter of
extreme urgency, I want the Federal Government to immediately grant amnesty to
all kidnappers and institute an amnesty programme for all kidnappers. “They told me that
if they are given assurance that they will not be killed, they are ready to
agree to the deal.” He urged the
government to declare a national state of emergency on youth unemployment and
infrastructure decay. Mr. Ozekhome
appealed to the government not to neglect the families of the four policemen
who were killed while trying to rescue him from his abductors.
“It was this
morning that I was briefed that those gallant officers died while trying to
rescue us from our abductors. “Let me hereby call
upon the Federal Government to set up a special foundation to cater for the
welfare of the wives and children of these officers.” He also urged the
National Assembly to allow for state police in the ongoing amendment of the
1999 Constitution.
Ozekhome also
called for the convocation of a national conference to address some of the
problems bedevilling the country. “As Nigerians, we
need to sit down and renegotiate our existence as a country. “We need to
practice true federalism. We need to retool Nigeria.” Mr. Ozekhome said
the government should also tackle the problem of corruption in the country. The human rights
activist, while thanking Nigerians for their concern during his ordeal,
debunked insinuations that his abduction was politically motivated. “We were never
profiled or targeted. It could have happened to anybody,” he said.
(NAN)
SOURCE: PREMIUM TIMES
2 comments:
Which Amnesty is he talking about? I first head the news on my way to work this morning and i was so angry. How can a Learned SAN seek amnesty for kidnappers and murderers. He is making us believe that the kidnappers are his friends (because what correct human being will sympathize with cold blooded murderers) and he must have arranged the whole thing to boost his image as a human rights activist.
Does he think he is the only one that has every been kidnapped? My learned SAN please you need to have a close discussion with other people that have been abducted in the past. Trust me i am sure they are as angry as i am right now, especially people in Edo State.
I believe the man is still suffering from Post-release trauma to have made that kind of statement, so he should be headed straight to the hospital for psychological check not straight to the press
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