PRESS RELEASE

NUPENG DECRIES SPATE OF KIDNAPPINGS The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) is worried and concerned about the current spate of kidnappings of innocent Nigerians across the country. The union decries the spate of kidnappings and calls on the appropriate security agencies to be up and doing to stem the tide. The union listed the recent kidnappings of the Regent of Akungba, a Kogi State High Court Judge, a Kogi State serving Commissioner, a NAN Correspondent in Imo State, Ijaw Youth Council President’s junior brother, Eradiri, former President Good-luck Jonathan’s two maternal cousins, a Catholic priest in Ekiti State and a living Faith Pastor in Calabar as one, too many. NUPENG condemns in its entirety the kidnappings and calls for a more scientific and technological approach towards arresting the kidnappers. It warns that government must put up strategies to stop the incessant kidnappings, so that it should not be institutionalized. The union states that the art of kidnapping is given the nation a bad image in the comity of nations and tends to scare foreign investors that are needed at this point in time to help resuscitate our battered economy. The union wants the new Buhari administration to pursue the cancer of unemployment that has eaten deep into our social fabric. It stresses that if able-bodied men are gainfully employed and kept busy, kidnappings will stop. The union states that a way is through re-indusrialisation, through reviving moribund industries and establishing new ones to absorb the army of unemployed. It adds that the power sector must be made to work 24/7 for these industries to come back on stream. The union calls for special training, especially overseas for the crack team in the Antiterrorism and kidnapping section of the police, so that they will be adequately trained on methods to track the kidnappers, who live with us and are no spirits.

Comrade (Dr.) Igwe Achese President, NUPENG