DONUKOGBARA

DONUKOGBARA
Donu Kogbara Wrong Donu Kogbara?
Donu Kogbara, Writer and Broadcaster and Director of Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority Board
Ms Donu Kogbara is a writer, broadcaster and consultant. She grew up in the UK and used to work for distinguished British media outlets such as the BBC, Economist Intelligence Unit and Sunday Times newspaper. She moved to Nigeria l0 years ago and now has a weekly column in Vanguard (a leading Nigerian publication). Donu was a founding member of the Presidential Oil/Gas Reform Implementation Committee (which is chaired by Dr Rilwanu Lukman, the Minister of Petroleum Resources). She is from the oil-producing Niger Delta region and is a Board Director of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority, a body that was created by the Right Honourable Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the Governor of Rivers State.
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"For the amnesty to succeed it must create wealth and opportunities for the people who are impoverished," Donu Kogbara, director, Greater Port Harcourt City Development, said. "If they (Niger Delta people) are hungry, they will be prepared to take risk," he added.
Donu Kogbara is a Nigerian print and broadcast journalist. She has a weekly column in the Vanguard newspaper, and acts as a Director on the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority Board. She is part of the African Arguments debates forum.
According to reports, popular Vanguard newspaper columnist and broadcaster, Donu Kogbara, was kidnapped from her home in the Nkpogu area of Port Harcourt early Sunday morning, August 30 by gun men who drove in a CRV SUV. The reason for her kidnap is unknown and no ransom has been demanded for her release by herThe state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ahmad Muhammad (DSP), confirmed the incident and said investigation was already on to ensure her safe rescue.
He however expressed concern that the hoodlums used police uniform in their operation.
"We too are suspicious because we have gathered that the abductors were in police uniform and using a private jeep. We (the police) do not operate like that. We are investigating the matter and hope to rescue her safely," Muhammad said.
Donu Kogbara is a writer/broadcaster and has a weekly column in Vanguard newspapers. She is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of African Access Limited, a public relations outfit. She was also a member of the board of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority from 2009 t0 2015.
A Nigerian newspaper columnist was abducted from her home early Sunday, according to news reports. The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Nigerian authorities to do their utmost to find Donu Kogbara, establish a motive for the abduction, and apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators.
"We condemn the kidnapping of Vanguard columnist Donu Kogbara and call on Nigerian authorities to launch an immediate and efficient investigation," said Peter Nkanga, CPJ's West Africa representative.
Unidentified gunmen entered Ms. Kogbara's home in Port Harcourt city, capital of Rivers state, captured the journalist, and drove her away in a jeep, according to news reports.
The journalist's family was at home during the abduction, news reports said.
Jimitota Onoyume, Vanguard's bureau chief in Rivers State, told CPJ that witnesses said two of the assailants entered the house while four others waited outside.
Ms. Kogbara has not been seen nor heard from since, news reports said.
Ahmed Muhammad, a police spokesman for Rivers state, told CPJ that police had launched an investigation into Ms. Kogbara's abduction.
Ms. Kogbara has worked for the independent Vanguard newspaper for around 30 years, Gbenga Adefaye, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, told CPJ.
He said that Ms. Kogbara wrote a column on politics and that he was unaware if she had received threats in connection with her work.
Ms. Kogbara has also worked for the BBC, Channel 4, and the Sunday Times, among other outlets, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Ms. Kogbara's columns have often been criticized by readers for her strong opinions, CPJ found.
In an August 21, 2015, article, Ms. Kogbara wrote about a change in rules governing foreign exchange transfers, which she said would negatively impact those with modest incomes.
In her follow-up and last article, she wrote about how she was contacted by "a few disgruntled supporters of the previous administration" who were "glad that I was being inconvenienced."
In another article in July, Ms. Kogbara called for employees of former President Goodluck Jonathan who were allegedly returning money they had stolen to be "rounded up, one by one, and arrested, named, blamed, shamed, and jailed.