Medical doctor dies in kidnappers’ den in Port Harcourt as Gunmen kidnap another educationist in Kogi

Few days after the Nigerian Medical Association protested in Port Harcourt over the incessant abduction of its members, a medical doctor, Samuel Okpara, has died in a kidnappers’ den.

Okpara was abducted last week inside his private hospital located at Abuloma axis of Port Harcourt, even as members of the NMA threatened to embark on an indefinite strike as a result of the ugly development.

Okpara’s corpse, according to a source, was dumped by his abductors behind the Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri in Port Harcourt.

It was learnt that the remains of the medical doctor, who was kidnapped while in a theatre, was found by passersby on Tuesday before the police was alerted.

Another source disclosed that the doctor could have died of shock, having being in the kidnappers’ den for close to a week.

“Okpara was a good man, who loved watching football. He usually came outside to talk about football with his colleagues and friends. He died in the hands of the kidnappers and they (kidnappers) dumped him at Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri,” the source said.

Speaking on the incident, Chairman of the state branch of the NMA, Dr. Furo Green, confirmed Okpara’s demise and added that his body was found behind the Government Comprehensive Secondary School, Borokiri in Port Harcourt.

Also, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Mohammad, explained that the corpse of the medical doctor was discovered by security operatives at the back of a secondary school in the state capital.

Disclosing that two medical doctors abducted in the state capital had been rescued by the police, Mohammad said the outfit had intensified efforts towards the rescue of the Deputy Chief Secretary to the State Governor, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara.

Gunmen kidnap another educationist in Kogi

Gunmen on Thursday again kidnapped an educationist in Kogi State, Paulina Audu.
The victim, who is a retired headmistress, was abducted by gunmen at her residence at Nagazi , in Adavi Local Government Area of the state at about 5am.
Our correspondent  gathered that the victim was kidnapped as she was on her way for morning devotion in an unnamed church.
A source told journalists in Lokoja that Audu attended morning devotion in her church.
The source, who craved anonymity for fear of threat to her life, said the retired headmistress was coming out of her house to attend the devotion when the bandits,  who had led siege to her residence, suddenly emerged, pointed gun at her and bundled her into her vehicle in which the driver was waiting to covey the headmistress to church.
The gunmen were said to have dragged her driver out of the vehicle and driven the woman away to an unknown destination.
Police Public Relations, Kogi State Command, Mr.  Sola Adebayor, told our correspondent that he had not been briefed on the kidnap.
On Monday, some gunmen had kidnapped an 80-year-old American missionary, Rev. Phyllinx Sogor, who runs the Hope Academy Nursery and Primary school, Emi-Woro in Ajaokuta Local Government of Kogi State.
Sogor has not been released by her abductors, who had reportedly demanded N30m to free her.