Gunmen have kidnapped a Port Harcourt-based poet identified as Keneddy Adele while he was returning to the metropolis from Abuja.

This was as his family and friends appealed for his urgent and safe release, saying he was not a moneybag.

Adele, was said to have gone to the Abuja, the nation’s capital for a performance, but was said to have returned late to Port Harcourt when gunmen accosted the vehicle he was in with other occupants and whisked them away to an unknown destination.

His wife, Faith Adele, said her husband was expected back home on Monday, September 11, 2023, but he and other passengers were kidnapped.

Mrs Adele told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the abductors had contacted her to demand a ransom of N20m.

She stated, “He was kidnapped on Monday been September 11. The kidnappers reached out to me on Tuesday around 10am, demanding a ransom of N20m. And they gave me till today, but I pray God will see us through this tough time.

In the meantime, friends and colleagues of Kennedy have started an online campaign to gather the necessary funds for his ransom to enable him to regain his freedom.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the police had yet to receive any official report on the incident. (The PUNCH)