Unknown gunmen have abducted a 72-year-old retired principal, Chief Sunday Festus, in Bayelsa State.
The septuagenarian, it was learnt, was abducted by a four-man gang in his residence at Bomo clan in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state in the early hours of Monday.
His son, Leigh, confirmed the abduction.
Leigh said his father, who is diabetic, was critically ill when his abductors whisked him away to an unknown destination.
He said, “The incident occurred at about 3:26am. The four-man gang of kidnappers arrived at the Foinbiri waterside at about 3:10am and went straight to my father’s residence.
“They broke the door protectors and forced him out of his room into a waiting double 75 horsepower speedboat.
“My father’s abduction followed a big bang on his door. They shouted and commanded that he should follow them. Attempt to resist the assailants by Master Ikiotari Festus (my father’s 13-year-old son) left him with injuries. They hit him on the head with the butt of their guns.”
Leigh averred that the “heartless kidnappers” dragged his father on the ground to the waterside, after several shots into the air to scare residents and to scuttle any resistance from the community.
He added that after they (abductors) succeeded in forcibly taking their victim away, they headed towards Opuama community in the area.
Leigh claimed that the motive behind the abduction of his diabetic father might not be unconnected with a plot to extort money from his elder brother, Daumiebi Festus, a lawyer and a real estate mogul.
He said his brother is also a stalwart of the All Progressives Congress in the state.
Leigh said his father’s abductors had yet to establish contact with the family members.
It was learnt that the abduction had thrown family members, neigbhours into mourning, particularly because the victim is suffering from diabetes.
They feared that the septuagenarian might die in the kidnappers’ den if he was exposed to harsh and ill treatment.
Efforts to confirm the incident from the Bayelsa State Police Command proved abortive as calls to the command’s Public Relation Officer, Asinim Butswat, indicated that his mobile phone was switched off.
