David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
Five persons were on Saturday night kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen close to Aguleri community, Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The victims, who are said to hail from Aguleri, where the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano, also comes from, were returning from Awka, the state capital, where they attended a wedding ceremony when they were abducted.
A victim, who escaped abduction and gave his name as Chidi narrated his experience in an audio clip which is being circulated in social media.
“I escaped. My Aguleri brothers were captured by them. I don’t know if they were killed or not. Four men and one lady from Aguleri were taken away. There were shootings in the area but I escaped,” he said.
The spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with THISDAY.
He said that of the five kidnapped persons, two were rescued by police operatives led by the District Police Officer of Otuocha division, while the identity of the kidnappers was yet to be ascertained.
“It was a kidnap incident and it happened at night. Five persons were kidnapped but the operatives led by the DPO Otuocha quickly moved into action and rescued two persons. They are still in manhunt to rescue the other three. We are yet to identify those people that kidnapped them.
“The abducted persons are five in number. Four men and a lady. The lady and one of the men was however rescued, while three male victims are still in captivity,” he said.
