In a bold move to draw attention to the alarming wave of kidnappings targeting Igbo women in Kogi State, Igbo traders in Lokoja staged a two-day protest by closing their shops. The protest aimed to highlight the incessant abduction of their wives by criminal elements, who demand hefty ransoms for their release.
Expressing their concerns, a spokesperson for the Igbo traders, who preferred to remain anonymous, revealed the distressing trend. “It was a protest by Igbo traders in Kogi over the incessant kidnapping of our women. It keeps occurring every month,” the spokesperson stated. “After they release one person, the next month they will pick another person. This has been going on for over two years.”
Mr. Sunday Ike, a concerned trader, emphasized the pervasive fear among Igbo traders due to the rampant kidnappings. “The kidnapping of Igbos in the state is becoming alarming. We are living in fear. Igbo traders are endangered species,” Ike lamented, recounting a recent incident where an Igbo lady was abducted on her way home from church.
However, following interventions by government officials and the Lokoja Local Government Area, the protest was called off prematurely. Abdullahi Adamu, the Chairman of the Lokoja Local Government, engaged in dialogue with Igbo traders to address their grievances. Assuring them of continued security and peaceful coexistence, Adamu’s intervention led to the suspension of the protest.
“The LGA chairman said his administration would continue to foster security and promote peaceful coexistence among all ethnic nationalities in the state,” Ike affirmed. “With his intervention, the leadership of our union has ordered us to call off the protest, and that is the reason we opened our shops today.”
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