Patience Egbeni and Kate Eni, two cousins of President Goodluck Jonathan, have been abducted by gunmen at Akimpelai, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
It was learnt that six gunmen stormed the riverbank in the community at 8.30am on Tuesday and abducted the women.
The victims were said to have been snatched from their provision stores on the riverbank.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said the hoodlums forced the women into a waiting speedboat and took them to an unknown place.
The incident, which occurred a few days to a grand reception being organised for Dr Jonathan on May 29, was said to have devastated the President’s kinsmen.
The source said: “The victims are two maternal cousins of the President. We know that they have been preparing to welcome the President after the May 29 handover. Unless they are rescued before then, their dream of spokesman Butswat Asinim, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the gunmen were dressed in military camouflage.
Egbeni is 35 years old.
He said: “The gunmen were dressed in military camouflage. They went to the provision stores of the victims at the riverside and abducted them into a waiting speedboat.”
Asinim said the Marine and Anti-Kidnapping Squad of the police, including the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield, had been contacted.
Following the incident, the Ogbia clan of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide urged the kidnappers to release the women immediately.
The clan’s Chairman Osaanya Osaanya said no ransom should be paid for the women’s freedom.
He said: “We are calling on the kidnappers to, as a matter of urgency, return those innocent women. We will go after them, if they refuse to heed our call. We will assist security agencies to make sure that those poor women are released with immediate effect.”
