Professor Oguejiofor Ujam, the esteemed dean of the School of General Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, who was recently abducted along the Opi-Nsukka-Ugwogo-Nike Road, has managed to escape his captors, according to the Enugu State Police.
Daniel Ndukwe, the spokesperson for the Enugu State Police, confirmed Professor Ujam’s safe return in a statement on Tuesday, October 29.
The professor was taken hostage on Sunday evening, a day notorious for its high incidence of kidnappings along the highway. His escape was made possible following a fierce gunfight between police forces and the suspected kidnappers in the Neke-Uno area on Monday night. The police recovered an AK-47 rifle, two magazines each containing 22 rounds, and a chain of 39 live ammunition rounds, which the kidnappers had to abandon in the face of the police’s gunfire, sustaining gunshot wounds in the process.
The professor’s escape has heightened security concerns in the region, where kidnappings for ransom have seen a sharp increase. Just hours before Ujam’s abduction, another official, Emeason Chima, a member of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), was also kidnapped on the same stretch of road. Despite these reports, police spokesperson Ndukwe has denied any confirmed incidents of the FRSC official’s kidnapping.
In response to the rising tide of kidnappings, Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, has mandated the deployment of extra personnel and resources to bolster security along the Opi-Nsukka-Ugwogo-Nike corridor.
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