Gunmen along the Emohua/Kalabari road in Rivers State Tuesday night defied the planned security arrangement by the four local government chairmen affected by incessant kidnapping on the road, abducting two persons.
The victims were said to be passengers traveling in a private vehicle.
A similar happened barely four days ago when five passengers of a commercial bus were also kidnapped by hoodlums terrorising the area.
The incident forced the local government chairmen of Emohua, Asari-Toru and Akuku-Toru to come together to partner with security agencies to curb the ugly incidents on that route.
An eye witness who did not want to be named said said the victims were in a private vehicle loaded with illegally refined petroleum product and headed towards Choba, near the University of Port Harcourt.
He said the incident occured at about 8pm, Tuesday, on the same spot where a commercial bus driver was killed and eight of his passengers kidnapped a about a month ago, as well as well the abduction of five passenger last Saturday.
“They were two persons in the car, the driver and another man. The vehicle was loaded with adulterated kerosene.
“They took two of them and left the vehicle there. Policemen went and saw the car. They (operatives) were acting as if something was scaring them away from the car”.
He added that a driver who drove past the vehicle said it occured around to eight in the night. That when he was coming, he saw this two occupants of the vehicle coming towards Choba.
“Now we have confirmed it because the relative of the occupants of the vehicle are now looking for a tow van to remove the vehicle.
“It is the same spot that they killed one of our drivers. The same spot that they kidnapped five passengers. It is the same spot where that vehicle is packed”.
He called for the immediate enforcement of a ban on night travels on the Emuoha Kalabari road.
Another source, a native of Abonnema, one or the communities along the route disclosed that the kidnappers have contacted a friend of one of the victims and demanded a random of N50 million.
The source who gave his name as George said the kidnappers are camped in the Emohua bushes.
He said; “If they don’t come in a car, when they kidnap people, they will carry their captors on foot into the bush.
“A friend to one of the guys that was kidnapped said the guy was calling him yesterday night, he was picking.
“So early this morning, they miscreants use another number to call him, and they are requesting for N50 million.”
But the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko said the incident had not been reported to her office.
She said,” The command has not received report of the incident yet. But when such things happen, let the people of that area report it to the nearest police station.
“It is sad that even the victims don’t come to the police when they are released. They prefer to go to the media.”
She used the opportunity to announce the rescue of four of the six victims abducted earleir, saying that the police has intensified effort to rescue the remaining victim, as well as to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
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