Igbo communities in various parts of Benue State, especially Gboko on Monday alleged that the Igbo were being targeted for kidnapping and murder by native gangs and bandits.
Addressing journalists at a press conference in Enugu, Mr Okafor Nnolim, one of the leader’s of the Igbo community in Gboko, claimed there was no week an Igbo person was not kidnapped or murdered in Benue State, saying, “We have been subjected to paying millions of naira in ransom.”
Nnolm added, “We can no longer do our businesses freely for fear of being kidnapped or murdered. Since January this year, we have had over 50 Igbo people kidnapped and some murdered in cold blood by bandits and suspected herdsmen.”
On his part, Chief Ndukaku Onyekwere, a fabrics merchant at the Gboko Central Market accused security agencies of complicity.
“Igbo in Benue State are being systematically decimated and our businesses are gradually being ruined by these kidnappers and bandits,” he lamented.
Similarly, Mr Ikem Ani lamented that the people had been subjected to untold hardship.
He said, “There is virtually no week that an Igbo person is not kidnapped. We have tried to engage the state Police Command to no avail. We are therefore crying out for the world to know the fate of Ndigbo in Benue State.”
