Igbo traders in Lokoja, have called on the Kogi State government to save their wives from being kidnapped by gunmen at every given moment.
To drive home their point the traders closed down their shops in protests Tuesday and reopened Wednesday after talks with the State government officials.
“It was a protest by Igbo traders in Kogi over the incessant kidnapping of our women. It keeps occuring every month,” Daily Post quoted one of the traders.
“After they release one person, the next month they will pick another person. This has been going on for over two years. The protest was planned for two days but it was called off today Wednesday.
“According to our leadership, they said government officials and officials of Lokoja Local Government Area intervened in the matter, so they suspend the protest,” he said.
Another trader who gave his name as Sunday Ike added “The kidnapping of Igbos in the state is becoming alarming. We are living in fear. Igbo traders are endangered species. One Igbo lady was recently kidnapped while returning from church. Her abductors refused to release her until the husband paid a huge sum of money as ransom.”
Lokoja Local Government Caretaker Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu allayed the fears of the traders.
“The LGA chairman said his administration would continue to foster security and promote peaceful coexistence among all ethnic nationalities in the state.
“With his intervention, the leadership of our union has ordered us to call off the protest and that is the reason we opened our shops today,” Ike explained.
