Gunmen kill 3 in failed attempt to kidnap expatriates

Unknown gunmen have killed three persons, including one soldier from the 16 Brigade in Port Harcourt, a Mobile Policeman and a civilian driver in a failed attempt to kidnap two expatriate workers of an oil company in Rivers state.

The incident happened at about 12:45hrs last Friday in Ogbemakoku Town in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State when the gunmen stormed the premises of Sterling Oil Company in the area in an attempt to kidnap two expatriate workers of the company.

Our Correspondent gathered that the refusal of the company’s driver to stop led the kidnappers to open fire on occupants of the company’s Hilux vehicles, killing the two security operatives and the driver instantly in the process.

Reliable sources in the community informed the Daily Times that the driver conveying the expatriate workers managed to escape with the white men to the town, where community youths intervened and rescued the workers.

“The community youths, seeing the kidnappers pursuing the white men, in fact, the kidnappers had already shot one tyre of their vehicle, promptly intervened and this led to the kidnappers’ escape.

They then rescued the white men and their driver and hid them in the bush until the arrival of security men,” one of the sources which pleaded anonymity for security reason told the Daily Times on phone.

Another source posited that the foiled kidnap attempt was unconnected to the recent minor boundary dispute between the two host communities of the oil company because it has since been amicably resolved with an acceptable sharing formula, and that the unknown kidnappers may not be from the community.

Although, we gathered that the community was immediately deserted for fear of mass arrests since a soldier and a policeman were victims of the failed attempt, many who fled have started returning back to the community as at time of filing this report.

When contacted for confirmation, the Rivers state Police Command Spokesman, DSP Nnamdi Omoni confirmed the foiled kidnap attempt and the death of the three persons. “Three persons pls: one soldier, one policeman and a civilian driver,” he said in his response to our text message.