Two female job seekers identified simply as Blessing and Praise have reportedly escaped from suspected kidnappers and human parts dealers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The two friends, who hail from Bomadi, Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta state, had reportedly gone job hunting from Warri to Bayelsa state last Wednesday.
They were referred to a company, said to be in need of workers in Port Harcourt.
According to rights activist, Comrade Israel Joe, on getting to Port Harcourt, the duo randomly boarded a commercial bus to take them to their destination.
“Two guys in the bus pointed gun at them and carried them into a thick forest, where they (suspects) were butchering people and selling body parts.
“What they do is they take you there and tell your people to bring money in form of kidnapping.
“When you fail to bring the money, they will kill the person and sell the body parts. So they gave them ultimatum till 12 noon yesterday, or kill them.
“One of Blessing’s friends called me that her friends went for job hunting and have been kidnapped. She said the kidnappers said if they don’t bring the N5 million, they will kill them.
“The kidnappers had initially videoed them where they planned to kill them with their (girls) phones and sent to their families, saying ‘if you think we are joking, don’t bring the money. This is how we will video their dead bodies and send to you’.
“So I called out to Gov. Nyesom Wike on Twitter, mentioned the Nigeria Police and other people. At the end, maybe they got to know that the thing is already becoming a public outcry.
“They (suspects) now told the family to bring anything they have. So the family was able to raise N200,000 and paid into a business PoS.
” They released them after collecting the money,” Joe, Delta secretary, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), narrated.
He said the victims are recuperating in their home town, having received torture from their assailants.
“I couldn’t bring it to Facebook because of the disturbing nude of the girls. I tried to tag the Senator who sponsored the bill seeking the imprisonment of anyone who paid ransom to kidnappers but I couldn’t find his handle.
“We wanted him to help us beg the security agents to release the girls but no, his social media handle disappeared,” the activist added.
