Abedgnigo Ekoko, a former Vice Chancellor of Delta State University, was abducted Sunday morning as he left a church service in Uzere, Isoko South Local Government Area.
It was gathered that Prof. Ekoko, who is the current chairman of the governing council of Delta State Polytechnic in Ogwashi-Uku, was snatched shortly after coming out of St. Paul Anglican Church.
Ogwashi-Uku, it would be recalled, was the scene of a recent similar drama when the mother of Coordinating Minister and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was kidnapped in the royal palace. The police at that time claimed to have swept up all known kidnappers in the area.
Our reporter reliably gathered that Prof. Ekoko, 72, was abducted by unknown gun men who apparently had worshiped at the same service with him.
Following the professor’s abduction, Ogwashi-Uku was again today thrown into panic, but information was sketchy about the incident, with some people believing it may be connected to a crisis that has rocked the community for over two years.
That crisis, which saw the dethronement of a former monarch, Isaac Udogri, has not responded positively to the efforts of the Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan government, which is perceived to be supporting the faction of the deposed monarch.
Today’s kidnap is also seen by some people to reflect the failure of the government’s security agenda, into which has been emptied billions of Naira in security votes.