Soldier Killed, Two Expatriates Kidnapped in Bayelsa

Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
Just 24 hours after the rescue of a soldier abducted by suspected pirates, another gang of heavily armed kidnappers on Tuesday killed a soldier and abducted two expatriates along the Ogbia-Nembe Road, Bayelsa State.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the kidnap of the two expatriates, but added that he had not received any report of the killing of a soldier.

“I am aware that the expatriates were kidnapped, but I can’t say whether any soldier was killed during the exchange of gunfire,’’ Butswat said last night.

It was learnt that one of the soldiers attempted to resist the plan by the hoodlums to forcibly take away the expatriates, a development that resulted in the exchange of gunfire.
One of the abducted expatriates a Lebanese construction worker identified as Ramzi Bau Hadir, aged 53 years.

The security operatives were said to have run into an ambush laid by the kidnappers who  overpowered them and took  the foreigners away.

THISDAY learnt that the security operatives were attached as security details to the expatriates working with Setraco Construction Company.

‘’They (the soldiers) came under heavy fire from the bushes. It was an ambush but they did not notice,” a source said.

A driver identified as Monday, who claimed to have witnessed the scene, said: “it was a movie scene. The soldiers were shooting and the armed men were shooting. We later saw signs of blood everywhere when the soldiers removed the blood soaked colleague and some expatriates.”