Jonathan's cousin Abduction: Kidnappers rejects N30m offer

The kidnappers of Chief Inengite Nitabai, cousin to
President Goodluck Jonathan have reportedly
rejected the N30m offered by his family for his
release.
Chief Nitabai, a former lecturer at the Rivers State
University of Science and Technology, Port
Harcourt was abducted penultimate Sunday at his
Otuoke country home in Ogbia local government
area of Bayelsa State by ten armed men.
The kidnapped chief is the traditional head of the
compound from which the President hails from.
He was also said to have played a major role in the
training of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan during his school
days as an undergraduate and post graduate
student.
Nitabai, it was also learnt has been acting like a
father to the President since Jonathan’s real
biological father died, it was further learnt.
The alleged rejection of the family offer is coming
on heels of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide
warning to the embattled Nitabai family that no
ransom should be paid to the kidnappers.
The abductors, it would be recalled, had contacted
the victim’s family four days after he was whisked
away demanding a whooping sum of N500m as
ransom to set him free.
A source source close to the Nitabai family told
Vanguard that the troubled family instead offered to
pay his abductors N30m which they rejected.
“They (kidnappers) rejected the N30m offer which
they described as laughable coming from a family
linked to the President,” the source said.
Also a security source who pleaded anonymity
confirmed the development saying, “we are aware
that the family is negotiating with the kidnappers
and that they are demanding N500m which the
family described as outrageous. They  instead
offered to part with N30 which the kidnappers were
said to have rejected.”
Contacted, the state police public relations officer,
Mr. Alex Akhigbe, DSP said he was not aware of the
demand.
He however said its operatives deployed in the
creeks are making progress in their search for the
kidnapped chief.
Meanwhile, the Ijaw Youth Council IYC has warned
the family of Chief Nitabai not to pay any ransom to
the kidnappers.
The IYC described the action of the kidnappers as
crime which the council would not condone.
It said the three man committee it set up to work
with security agencies to fish out the kidnappers of
Chief Inengite Nitabai are making tremendous
progress to secure his release.
Spokesman of the IYC, Eric Omare who disclosed
this to newsmen shortly after the inaugural meeting
of the council at the Ijaw House in Yenagoa said the
identity of the three man committee working with
the security agents would not be disclosed for
security reasons as serious progress has been
made to free the septuagenarian.
Omare added that the committee has established
contacts with his captors assuring that in no
distance time he would be released.
“In consonance with the position of the IYC we have
advised the relevant persons not to offer any
ransom in order to effect the release of Mr
President uncle because if we offer ransom we are
encouraging more kidnapping.
“IYC position is that criminality must be erased from
Ijawland, so we have told them not to offer any
ransom, though he has not been released but we
are very sure in the next few days or hours we
would effect his release,” he said.