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Wenenda Wali, immediate younger brother of former President of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Okey Wali, SAN, who was released on Monday from the enclave of kidnappers in Port Harcourt two weeks after abduction, has said that the prayers of concerned Nigerians helped a lot in the release of his elder brother from captivity.
Wenenda Wali, a good governance and peace advocate who made the remark in a statement, described the 14 days the Senior Advocate of Nigeria was held captive by his abductors as most traumatizing for him and the entire family as his whereabouts remained unknown to them.
Thanking God for His divine mercy and intervention, he expressed his deepest gratitude to those that stood by the family members and showed them love and affection at their trying moment.
The statement reads: “The truth is that we can only thank God for His mercy. Friends and family cried out to Him and He answered the intercessory prayers of a nation of orphans, widows, the clergy and the people. Yes, it was a most traumatic fourteen days – indeed, the longest fourteen days in history (at least for me), but His mercy has almost completely healed us. As a family, we remain very humbled by the show of love through prayers, words of encouragement and visits. Only God will reward all of the people who helped us in this most trying period.
“As for the traducers, we shall leave them to their devices, as they anxiously await their own reward too. While we also acknowledge the support from the media, I’ll not fail to mention my disappointment with a small section of the media who failed to exercise discretion in their reportage of the event. I was saddened by the report that my brother (Okey) was a politically exposed person and indeed a chieftain of a political party and that bags of money were found in his car and taken away by the assailants. These were most unfair and untrue. Okey Wali SAN, is a dedicated professional and the only bag taken away with him was his work bag.
“In all, we give glory to God for the safe return of my brother. Most importantly, I can categorically state that he is in very good health and high spirit.”
The 64-year-old legal luminary and renowned philanthropist who served as the 26th NBA President between 2012 and 2014, and said to have contributed in no small measure to the development of his community and the advancement of legal practice in Nigeria, was abducted on April 17 by unknown gunmen at the Obiri-Ikwerre area of the East-West Road in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
