Gunmen Kill Two Soldiers, Kidnap Expatriate, Others In Rivers

Gunmen allegedly killed two soldiers assigned to the Ekaago-Ogboloma-Adada Road project in Rivers State’s Abia/Odual Local Government Area on Friday.

The miscreants were also alleged to have kidnapped an expatriate and three others working at the project’s site, which is being carried out by the state government on Tuesday.

According to reports, the gunmen killed the two troops to clear the way for the kidnapping of the project’s foreman, a foreigner.

The invaders took the rifles of the deceased soldiers and whisked away the foreman, three other workers at the project site, and a farmer they met while escaping.

A community source, who requested anonymity for fear of being identified, told journalists that the hoodlums shot randomly into the air before fleeing across a nearby river in Akani, Abia/Odual LGA.

According to the source, inhabitants of Emelego, Ogboloma, and Okolomade were left in dread following the event.

According to the source, “On Tuesday, some hoodlums arrived at the Ogboloma road construction site intending to kidnap the white man in charge of the road project.” They set up an ambush and waited for them to return to work. As a result, when they saw the army, they shot and murdered the two personnel.

“They also kidnapped the foreman, three other workers, and one farmer who was returning from the farm in Ogboloma community. They took away the rifles of the soldiers and escaped through Esala River after serious shooting.”

“With this, the army came to make some arrests in Emelego and Ogboloma communities but we are all living in fear. We all have been sleeping in the bush; there is panic everywhere because we don’t know the next move the army will make.”

Attempts to reach the spokesperson for the Nigeria Army’s 6 Division in Port Harcourt, Lt.-Col Iweha Ikedishi, were futile because he did not answer calls placed to his mobile phone. In addition, as of the time of reporting this article on Friday evening, he has not responded to a text message addressed to him.