Ernest Chinwo, in This Day via All Africa, reports that Mr. Emma Okah, the former Commissioner for Information in Rivers State (Nigeria) has accused the state government of masterminding the abduction of Archbishop Ignatius Kattey:
Okah, in a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday, said the state government would be held responsible if anything happens to Kattey because Amaechi had earlier berated the cleric for not supporting him in the political crisis in the state.
According to him, “At the thanksgiving church service last June to mark O.C.J. Okocha’s 60th birthday, Amaechi had warned him to either support him (Amaechi) or stay with the opposition group and I am not aware that the Archbishop has changed his anti-partisan posture to support Amaechi.”
Okah, who was reacting to a statement credited to the state government that the kidnap meant that state was sliding to anarchy due to failure of security, said: “The statement by the state government is mischievous, wicked and intended to ridicule and discredit the police and opposing political leaders in the state and paint a picture of anarchy where Amaechi, who has failed to discharge his duties as governor, will be seen as a saint.”
Okah noted that kidnap for ransom in the state and other parts of the country had never stopped since 2006 and that unemployment and rush for quick wealth instead of failure of security was the major cause of the development. “The kidnap of Archbishop Kattey is one of the many high profile kidnap cases in Nigeria and every responsible citizen of this country must feel concerned and play a role, including prayers, to seek his early release from captivity. Therefore, it is wicked for Amaechi to use this ugly kidnap of an aged servant of God to seek political mileage, trade blames and play politics instead of getting the man out first,” Okah said.
The article goes on to describe the rival factions in the government, other accusations of motivation for the kidnapping, along with the current state government’s response.