Gunmen kidnap Nigerian university professor

The latest incident occurred hours after gunmen kidnapped an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps along the same road.

Gunmen have kidnapped a lecturer in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in Enugu State, South-east Nigeria.

The victim, Oguejiofor Ujam, was kidnapped on Sunday evening along Opi-Nsukka- Ugwogo-Nike Road, PREMIUM TIMES gathered.

Mr Ujam, a professor, is the dean of School of General Studies of the university.

Sources told this newspaper that the university professor was kidnapped alongside an unidentified man.

A source close to the family of the unidentified man, said the kidnappers had contacted them for ransom.

“They were kidnapped while they were returning to Nsukka from Enugu metropolis,” the source said.

The spokesperson of the university, Okwun Omeaku, refused to either deny or clearly confirm the incident when PREMIUM TIMES contacted him on Tuesday morning.

Mr Omeaku stressed that “blowing up” the kidnap in the media could jeopardise the professor’s chances of being released.

“Matters relating to kidnap and all that are being handled by the state security, not us,” he said.

Police response

When contacted on Tuesday morning, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, asked for time to speak on the incident.

“Just be patient. I will respond,” Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, appealed.

But the police spokesperson was yet to respond as of the time of filing this report.

Increased kidnap attacks

Like other parts of Enugu, cases of kidnap-for-ransom along the Opi-Nsukka- Ugwogo-Nike Road have increased in recent times.

Civil servants, business owners, politicians and even students have become targets of such attacks in the area lately.

The latest incident occurred hours after gunmen kidnapped an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps along the same road.

The victim, Emeason Chima, was whisked away by the attackers on Saturday.

He was yet to be freed as of the time of this report.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnap of the FRSC official and the Nigerian professor although a separatist group IPOB has been blamed for the frequent attacks in the region.

IPOB is seeking the secession of South-east and some parts of South-south from Nigeria.