Police Confirm Kidnap of Two Expatriates in Rivers

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the kidnap of two foreigners in Port Harcourt by suspected gunmen.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Grace Iringe-Koko who confirmed the incident to THISDAY, said the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Eboka Friday, has deployed a tactical team to apprehend the perpetrators and rescue the victims.

According to Iringe-Koko, “The CP has deployed adequate tactical team to ensure they are released while the investigation is ongoing to arrest the perpetrators.”

It was gathered that the expatriates were abducted on Thursday, by armed men who escaped with the victims through Ndoki Street waterfronts in the state capital.

According to an eye witness, the suspected gunmen behind the operation drove in two Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and a Hummer bus all with tinted glasses into Ndoki Estate at about 2p.m. and kidnapped the victims.

A source from the area who pleaded anonymity disclosed that the plate numbers of the SUVs were concealed and the occupants in the bus were in  military camouflage.

According to the source, none of the occupants of the three vehicles alighted as they stayed a while and later drove off.

Another source who gave his name as Lucky, revealed that about 7p.m., they saw some armed men wearing military uniform with two white men suspected to be Chinese at the end of Ndoki Street heading towards the waterfront.

“Suddenly, there was a sporadic shooting in the air and one of the gunmen ordered the whitemen, who look like Chinese people, that if they ran, they would be shot dead. It was then we knew they were kidnappers and not real soldiers.”

According to him, the shooting lasted for about 15 minutes and residents and shop owners scampered for safety in fear of being hit by stray bullets.