Elechi Amadi Abducted By Militants
Stories by Yemi Adebisi, Emeka Umejei and Olisaemeka Obeche

Author of The Concubine and one of the foremost Nigerian novelists, Elechi Amadi, was on Monday January 5 abducted by gun men suspected to be militants from his country home town of Aluu in Rivers State around 9p.m.

Commissioner for Information in Rivers state, Ogbonna Nwuke confirmed the incident to Daily Independent in a telephone conversation but added that the security operatives are already on the trail of the suspected militants to ensure the renowned novelist is set free.

"It is true that Elechi Amadi was arrested yesterday in his country home in Aluu but the security operatives are already on the trail of the suspected militants to ensure he is set free,"Nwuke stated.

Broken the news to Daily Independent today, Tuesday January 6 from London, national president of the Association of Nigerian Author (ANA) declared that members of the ANA Port Harcourt chapter and national body were putting heads together on his immediate release because of its consequences.

National Coordinator of Ijaw Youth Monitoring Group (IMOG), Comrade Joseph Evah in his reaction said the security agents should be held responsible for the abduction.

Evah who expressed regret that such a harmless elder statesman like Elechi Amadi who has not been involved in politics could be made to suffer such trauma because of the failure of the state to do the right thing.

According to him, the major reason why kidnapping still thrives in the region is because of the failure of all the government security agencies operating in the region to do job they are paid for.

"We have to hold the security people responsible, they know about; I said this because Governor Rotimi Amaechi said he has maintained law and order in the state, so the security agents in the state who supposed to monitor the whole state to know when people are preparing for crimes should account for his kidnap.

"What are the National Intelligent Agency (NIA), the State Security Services (SSS), the Joint Military task Force (JTF), men and officers of the Nigerian Police and other operatives who are paying heavily to provide security in the region doing?

"What are the security agencies doing in Nigeria? Billions of naira goes into security votes for the restoration of peace in Niger Delta and yet the security agencies have not been able to safeguard the lives of innocent citizens," said Evah.

According to assistant secretary,ANA Port Harcourt chapter, Frank Hillary, an emergency meeting of the association has been slated for 2p.m on Tuesday on further development. "It is very callous of those involved in this embarrassment. Amadi is a simple, peaceful and respected intellect in Nigeria and abroad. He is also a Niger Deltan. He has nothing to do with all these issues on ground. It is very unfortunate," said Hilary.

Amadi's last literary outing was at the 2008 Garden City Literary Festival at the University of PortHarcourt, hosted by Rainbow Book Club between September 24 and 27 where he was a guest speaker with icons like the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, Kofi Awoonor (author and former Ghana Ambassador to the UN), Okey Ndibe (author and national columnist) among others.

Speaking with the Daily Independent on Tuesday, founder of Rainbow Book Club, Koko Kalango, declared that she was not aware of the arrest but queried the basics for the occurrence. "You are just telling me. I am not aware of this development. I was with Amadi during Christmas. Why should somebody do this?" she lamented. A man of great talents and potential, Amadi, who had served in the Nigerian Army between 1963 and 1966, has won several literary awards home and abroad, which include, International Writers Program grant, University of Iowa in1973; Rivers State Silver Jubilee Merit A ward, 1992 and Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality Merit Award for Literature, 1995.


http://www.independentngonline.com/bnew/article02

Good for him

these terrorists will not let us and even their ppl rest!

Author of The Concubine and one of the foremost Nigerian novelists, Elechi Amadi, was on Monday January 5 abducted by gun men suspected to be militants from his country home town of Aluu in Rivers State around 9p.m.

The bolded phrase should have read "The Author of Sunset in Biafra".

@wilywily
;Dna wa 4 u oooo._{civil war betrayal}

however i thought he was on their side

Ikwerre ninjas go riot o! Those militants better return him sharp sharp. You don't just abduct the de-facto leader of a people like that. May Amadioha strike down the militants before they cause civil war in Port Harcourt.

Ibime, before you continue with this your utterances kindly think twice since your brothers living among you are the ones doing the kidnapping job. Withdraw your abusive terms and face the realities on ground for your own good as well as the generations yet unborn.

such cowardice act!

Even though this is so embarrassing and wrong, lets look on the bright side - Elechi Amadi now has a plot for his next book!

at last! he has been released

How them no go release am? Dem want start civil war. These youngsters these days do not understand the gravity of their actions.

Kidnapping your heroes, a sign of a progressing and moving forward nation indeed.

.