…may behead them
…FG investigates report
A 36 year old Nigerian, Ibrahim Adeola, has reportedly being kidnapped by the Islamic terror group, ISIS, in Libya. Adeola, said to be a Christian migrant, was abducted alongside a Ghananian, Sekyere Frimpong and an Egyptian, Beklut Nageh Ebreid.
News of the trio’s plight was broken yesterday by TRAC, an organisation that provides researchers in the fields of terrorism studies, political science, international relations, sociology, criminal justice, philosophy and history with content and comprehensive data and analysis for complex topics. The organisation on Twitter displayed Adeola’s international passport information page, with passport number, A04485028.
The passport, which was issued on January 21, 2012 at the Passport Office in Festac Lagos indicated that Adeola was born in Imo State on May 24, 1979. The organisation also posted the passport information pages of the other two captives. Given ISIS brutality, especially against Christians, there are fears that they may be beheaded.
Photographs of the captives showed the Egyptian and Ghanaian blindfolded, a common ISIS tactic to cow hostages and their family members.
The group has so far not made any demands although in some previous cases, it had beheaded Western hostages when their home governments turned down demands for a ransom.
Though investigations revealed that the relevant authorities in Nigeria might not be aware of Adeola’s plight, government officials said the matter would be investigated.
Also, they said government would ascertain whether Adeola’s passport is genuine or not. An official of the Nigeria Immigration Service said the service was not aware of the incident.
According to the official, Libya is currently like a semi-war zone and Nigeria does not have immigration attaches in that country at the moment. Director of Public Communications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, Mr. Ogbole Amedu Ode, also said he was not aware of any such report.
“I am not aware of it. If there is any report like that, it will go to Consular and Immigration Depart-ment which handles such issues before it flows down to us. I haven’t seen any report like that on my desk, so I cannot comment on it,” he said.
Attempts to reach the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, for comments failed as his phones did not connect. Three months ago, a shocking video appearing to show at least 30 Christians being beheaded and shot by ISIS in Libya was released.
The 29-minute video, titled ‘Until It Came To Them – Clear Evidence,’ showed dozens of militants holding two separate groups captive, thought to be in the south and the west of the country. At least 16 men, described by Islamic State as the ‘followers of the cross from the enemy Ethiopian Church’, are lined up and shot in a desert area while 12 others are filmed being forced to walk down a beach before being beheaded.
This followed another video in February of the beheading of a group of 21 Coptic Christians on a beach in Libya.
The activities of the terror group raised fears that ISIS was consolidating its presence on the ‘doorstep of Europe’, as Libya is just a few hundred miles from the coast of Italy.
Source:New Telegraph
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