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Delta State government denies paying N500million ransom for Edwin Clark's kidnapped son, Ebikeme
08/04/2014 15:38
The Delta Government on Tuesday said that it did not pay N500 million ransom for the release of kidnapped Ebikeme Clark, son of elder statesman, Edwin Clark.
This is contained in a statement by Mr Ovuozorie Macaulay, the Secretary to the Delta State Government, in Asaba.
It said the state government did not pay any ransom as claimed by The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
Ebikeme was kidnapped on April 2 at their Kiaghodo country home in Brutu Local Government Area of Delta and later released on Sunday at the Kiagbodo waterside.
“The Delta State Government wishes to state categorically that it did not part with any money as ransom for the release of Mr. Ebikeme Clark.
“It is the policy of the government not to pay or encourage the payment of ransom by families as this encourages more kidnappings.
“The state government has had previous cases of high profile kidnappings where the victims had been kept much longer than Ebikeme. The government did not pay any ransom,” the statement said.
It further noted that there was nothing special about the victim to warrant its paying ransom for his release.
The statement said that MEND was out to blackmail not just the state government, but also Clark and the amnesty programme of the Federal Government.
“The Delta State Government wishes to advise those still hiding under the umbrella of MEND, that the tactics of blackmail, falsehood, rumour mongering and intimidation in the region are gone,” it added.
Source - NAN
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