C’River Assembly to enact severe anti-kidnap law

Speaker of Cross River State House of Assembly, Elvert Ayambem has disclosed that the House will soon enact a state law that will mete out severe punishment to kidnappers.

He spoke to the leadership of Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, when they called on him to seek the Assembly’s support to rescue their colleague, Prof Ekanem Ephraim of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital who was kidnapped a week ago.

The armed abductors had pretended to be patients.

Expressing sadness over incessant cases of kidnappings in parts of the state, the Speaker said when the law comes into effect, whosoever is caught in the act of kidnapping in the state will pay heavily for it.

“I really feel very sad by the frequency of abductions. The recent case of Professor (Mrs) Ekanem Philip Ephraim of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital is very worrisome.

“I understand your pain and want to assure you that we will do everything possible to secure her immediate release from the kidnappers’ den. The State governor and the security operatives are working round the clock to bring her back safely,” he said.

The Speaker appealed to the NMA not to carry out their threat of withdrawing their professional services.

He assured of the safe release of the doctor of Neurology.

Speaking earlier, chairman of NMA, Dr Felix Archibong who led the NMA delegation on the visit, said the trauma the victim is going through was unspeakable.

He said there have been incessant kidnapping of their members and called on government and security agencies to end it.

He pleaded that Prof Ephraim should be released unhurt soon enough.