Elechi Amadi is an world-renowned Nigerian novelist and playwright who was kidnapped by gunmen from his home in rural Nigeria on January 5, 2009. Amadi's home is nine miles east of the oil hub of Port Harcourt, notorious for its high rate of kidnappings and violence.BBC News: Gunmen kidnap Nigerian novelist (January 6, 2009)

On the night of January 5, 2009, Elechi was at home with his wife and granddaughter when three gunmen broke in, forced him to dress and took him away.The PM News: Elechi Amadi Kidnapped (January 6, 2009) His family was unharmed, although they were unable to stop the kidnapping. No one has claimed responsibility, and there is no ransom demand as of yet. Authorities believe the kidnap was financially motivated.Bloomberg: Nigerian Gunmen Kidnap Novelist, Former Army Captain (Update1) (January 6, 2009)

"Militancy is fine so long as those leading the militants have the intellectual capacity to know where they are going. But, situations where you have a mob ready to pillage and kill, kidnap, then that is debased militancy."—Elechi AmadiBloomberg: Nigerian Gunmen Kidnap Novelist, Former Army Captain (Update1) (January 6, 2009)