Gunmen abduct 2 in Calabar

Two persons over the weekend were abducted by yet to be identified gunmen in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.

An associate professor with the University of Calabar, Dr. David Ugwu, was abducted at his home on Friday evening, while a staff of the state newspaper corporation, Morris Archibong, was kidnapped on his way home on Saturday.

Prof. Ugwu was picked up by the gunmen at his residence at second transformer in Atimbo while watering flowers in his compound after his abductors shot severally into the air to scare away residents.

A witness, Mrs. Iquo Etim, said the professor was watering flowers in his compound in the evening when the gunmen arrived shooting before taking him away.

“They took him through the water. It is like they had been monitoring him for quite a while because they came in swiftly like they knew the area,” she said.

Meanwhile, a colleague of the kidnapped journalist said that he was picked up on his way home from an outing in Etta Agbor Layout, Calabar Municipality on Saturday evening.

He said nothing has been heard from the abductors and the phone lines of the victim remains switched -off.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the two incidents, adding that the police is working hard to ensure that they get the victims back to their families.

“I am aware of the matter. We are working round the clock to make sure they are reunited with their families as soon as possible. We are doing everything possible to make that happen,” she said.