Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki
Two Chinese nationals working in a construction site at the boundary between Ohaozara and Ivo Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State have been kidnapped by suspected herdsmen.
Sun Zhixin and Wang Quing Hu were kidnapped at about 3.30pm on Wednesday by men said to be wearing masks.
The victims were said to be working with a construction company on the road leading to Ogwu and Okpanku communities in Ivo LGA in Ebonyi and Aninri LGA in Enugu States respectively.
The victims, it was gathered, were working on the base of the bridge at Ivo River when the armed men stormed the area and forced the workers out of the pit.
According to the other workers at the construction site, who witnessed the incident, the criminals initially took three person but one of them, a Nigerian, but was released when he reportedly spoke Hausa language, begging his captors not to kill him.
Confirming the incident, the police public relations officer in the state, Loveth Odah, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said that the police have commenced actions targeted at rescuing the victims alive and unhurt.
She said that on getting information on the ugly incident, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Awosola Awotinde, moved to the scene with a tactical team for on-the-spot assessment of the situation.
“The area was combed to track down the bandits but no result. A crack rescue team has been dispatched to move into the area to rescue the Chinese nationals unhurt,”Odah said.
She said that serious efforts were being made to, not only rescue the victims, but also apprehend the criminals for prosecution according to the law.
The police spokesperson, who wondered why Chinese did not apply for security from the police, however, appealed to the residents of the area to avail the police with adequate information that would help in rescuing the victims alive and unhurt.
Meanwhile, the manager of the site explained that they did not apply for security because they have worked at the site for five months without any security challenge.