The fleeing bandits who attacked the petrol station on their operational motorbikes between 8:30 to 9pm on the fateful night also killed three persons on their trail residents stated.
According to Malam Suleiman Muhammed a resident in the area, among those killed, was one Abubakar, whose wedding was said to have been fixed for about two weeks away.
It was further learnt that one of the kidnapped persons regained his freedom by a stroke of luck when the motorcycle taking him and one of the abductors allegedly developed mechanical problems, midway into the journey to their criminal hide out, somewhere around Alawa forest in Shiroro local government area of the state.
Malam Suleiman who spoke to our reporter on telephone said the gunmen arrived the target petrol station in a Commando like manner, shooting their guns sporadically into the air apparently in a bid to scare residents and passersby away.
He stated further that the fleeing gunmen had held the fuel attendants and some customers into ransom for almost about 30 minutes and there about , after which a detachment of the police and military personnel attached to the area only arrived the scene after the hoodlums had escaped arrest and fled into a thin air.
Suleiman said the abductors have made contact with community leaders and were allegedly demanding for about N3million for each of the two remaining victims in their custody before would be released.
He noted that the latest incident was coming barely a week after three persons were earlier abducted in like manner on their way from Alawa market.
He said the abductors were said to have demanded for N5 million as ransom for the release of their victims, but that they later accepted N700, 000 after which they set their victims free .
Meanwhile, the Spokesman of the Niger State Police Command, ASP Peter Sunday has confirmed the incident.
He stated this when contacted by our reporter in Minna, the state capital, adding that the gunmen were allegedly shooting their guns sporadically into the air on their arrival at the petrol station on the fateful night.
According to ASP Peter Sunday, out of the three persons hit by bullets, one of them died, while the remaining two were critically injured and were placed on admission at an undisclosed hospital in the state.
He also confirmed that three persons were abducted but said one of them was rescued by the police adding that the situation at Pandogari community in Rafi Local Government of the state has since been brought under control, while the police have launched man hunt for the fleeing hoodlums.
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