GUNMEN MACHETE MONARCH, KIDNAP WIFE IN ENUGU

Wife of the traditional ruler of Abba - Igogoro in Igbo Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, Igwe Omale Nwogbo, Adiza, has been kidnapped by unknown persons who invaded her home last week.

The woman was kidnapped few days after some armed men invaded the palace and inflicted machete cuts on her husband before shooting at three other persons with him in his palace at about 8pm.

According to police sources, the traditional ruler was meeting with some people in his Igogoro palace when the gunmen struck and reportedly shot one Joshua Urama at the back while Igwe Ogbo himself, Emmanuel Tobechukwu Idoko and Sunday Ogbo sustained injuries on their heads and faces. Igwe Ogbo was said to have been reportedly given three machete cuts on his head.

The attack took place at a time members of the ruling People's Democratic Party, PDP, in the local government were holding the Ward Congress at Enugu Ezike to elect delegates for last Saturday's local government congress to elect chairmanship candidates for the local government election slated later in the year.

Igwe Nwogbo and the other victims who sustained serious bullet wounds, were later rushed to the Bishop Shanahan Hospital Annex in Enugu Ezike, the council headquarters for urgent medical attention.

However, Adiza, 85, was abducted by some people who reportedly claimed to have come from the neighbouring Isugwu community, exactly four days after her husband was attacked in his palace.

The police were still trying the unravel the reasons behind the attack on Igwe Ogbo when his wife was abducted.

Adiza's son and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters in the state, Prince Goddy Ogbo confirmed in a telephone interview with Saturday Vanguard yesterday that his aged mother was abducted by unknown persons who invaded his father's palace on motorcycles.

According to him, his old mother was forcefully taken away on one of the motorcycles as she shouted, "blood of Jesus; blood of Jesus about two weeks ago."

The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in EnuguState, Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the incident yesterday, but stressed that he had no details of Adiza's abduction, even as Prince Ogbo said that his family had not established any contacts with the abductors since the incident.