Chief Abia Onyike, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ex-commissioner for Information and state Orientation in Ebonyi State, has narrated his experience after being allegedly abducted by men of Ebubeagu.

According to him, the incident happened around 8:25 pm on Wednesday, at a popular pharmacy along Water Works Road, Abakaliki. He said he had gone there to purchase some medicines.

Narrating his ordeals, Onyike said: “I went to buy medicine at the popular Octovia Pharmacy at about 8.25 pm. After buying the drugs, I saw two armed EbubeAgu men enter the Pharmacy. They came straight to me. One of them dragged me into their vehicle (a red-colored Toyota Sienna). They fired gunshots into the air to scare people. They drove me to the old Government House and subjected me to torture.

“I was canned and beaten with wood. They threatened to bury me alive while one of them threatened to shoot at my leg. After about one hour of intensive torture, their commander told me to stand up and wear my dress. He said it was a case of mistaken identity. They returned some of my items seized by them such as my car key, phone, drugs, and ATM. I was then told to go. Later on, I learnt that the Commissioner of Police had ordered that I be released”.

When contacted, the State Commander of Ebubeagu, Mr. Friday Nnanna, noted that the arrest of Chief Onyike who is also the spokesperson for the PDP gubernatorial candidate was a mistake. According to him, Onyike was arrested in the location where a suspect was being trailed but was later released immediately after his name, place of origin, and personality were confirmed.

“The place they said Abia was caught was where a criminal element we have been looking usually stays. Oga, we have satellites everywhere. That’s where the suspect usually comes to collect arms and ammunition and rifles kept for him. He normally comes from outside the state.

“You can ask the victim what we did immediately he was asked to provide his name, where he came from. We ordered them to leave him immediately. People have been putting surveillance where he was arrested”.

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