Gunmen abduct Bayelsa Speaker's brother

Gunmen in the early hours of Monday abducted Mr. Iniokpoemi Benson, a
younger brother to the Speaker of Bayelsa House of Assembly, Mr.
Kombowei Benson.

Mr. Hilary Okpara, Commissioner of Police in Bayelsa, who confirmed
the incident, said the victim was abducted at about 3 a.m. at his
residence in Korokorosei village in Southern Ijaw Local Government
Area.

Okpara told the News Agency of Nigeria in a telephone interview in
Yenagoa that the police special anti-kidnap squad was on the trail of
the kidnappers.

"We have got information on the incident, the DPO in the area and the
Assistant Commissioner of Police have briefed me and the good thing is
that we have known the direction the hoodlums are heading to so we
shall round them up," Okpara said.

The commissioner assured that the gunmen would be apprehended and the
victim rescued.

NAN had gathered that Benson was the immediate past chairman of the
community's development committee.

The commissioner also commented on the fate of 90-year-old Madam
Florentina Paulker, mother of Sen. Emmanuel Paulker representing
Bayelsa Central, who was abducted in July.

"We have made some progress on that incident, we arrested one of them
within hours and the next day we arrested three more subjects who are
helping us and we are still making more arrests.

"It is a syndicate from what we have found out, we have cut off the
communication link between the suspects in our custody and those
holding the woman, so we are hoping that soon we shall free her," he
said.

Paulker, who was abducted on July 30 in Opollo area of Yenagoa, had
been kidnapped in 2010, but was freed after eight days in captivity.

The security agents at the time killed one of the kidnappers in a shoot-out.