PUNCH Metro gathered that no fewer than three persons were feared kidnapped at different locations in the state on Saturday.
According to some videos circulating on social media, which our correspondent watched, one of the abductions occurred at the Ifite-Amansea-Awka Road in the Awka North LGA on Saturday afternoon while the other occurred along the Agulu-Oraukwu Road in the Anaocha LGA on Saturday evening.
In the video, two yet-to-be-identified occupants of a Sports Utility Vehicle were kidnapped by gunmen on Saturday afternoon at the Ifite-Amansea-Awka, close to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University’s second gate.
While one yet-to-be-identified person was taken away by another set of gunmen along the Agulu-Oraukwu Road.
The voices in the videos narrated that the assailants double-crossed the victims with their vehicle, dragged them out into their waiting vehicle and zoomed off while abandoning the victims’ vehicles.
The videos show masked gunmen ordering the victims out of their vehicles and into their waiting vehicles.
It was gathered from sources in the areas that the gunmen shot into the air as they made away with the victims, while one of them also took the victims’ car.
One of the sources and a resident living around the Ifite-Amansea-Awka Road where two victims were taken away said, “It was a scary scene to behold. The hooded gunmen double-crossed the occupants of an SUV vehicle, shot into the air and ordered them out and into their waiting vehicle, after which they immediately zoomed off. They left the SUV.
“Shortly after the incident, the assailants returned to the same area and abducted a man from his car, a Lexus 350 salon. The men picked their victim without a challenge and unlike the first incident where they shot in the air to instil fear among the people of the area, this time, they leisurely drove away after picking the victim.”
Our correspondent further gathered that at the Agulu-Oraukwu Road, two other incidents happened.
The source said, “In Oraukwu, the victim was trailed and abducted, and his Lexus 350 SUV abandoned on the road. The victim, a petrol station owner was driving home with one of his petrol attendants when they were accosted by gunmen.
“The petrol attendant, a young man was shot dead and his master, who is the owner of the petrol station, was abducted and taken to an unknown location.”
Reacting to the development after inquiries in a statement on Sunday, the Anambra State police spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said after studying the videos, the police responding team recovered the victims’ vehicles and placed joint security measures/operational positioning to forestall such or related incident in the state.
Ikenga said manhunt and rescue operations were ongoing to rescue the victims and arrest the assailants as directed by the Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Obono Itam.
He said, “Efforts are ongoing to arrest the assailants and rescue the victims of the abduction incidents on Saturday captured in a video along Ifite-Amansea Road, Awka.
“Meanwhile, the police responding team recovered the abandoned victim’s vehicle, and joint security measures/personnel positioning are already in place to forestall such and related incidents in the state.
“To this end, the CP charges the command’s tactical teams deployed to complement the joint security team to redouble their efforts to deprive the hoodlums of any space they desire to perpetrate their evil acts and vows that the police command shall leave no stone unturned in hunting down the assailants
“Further development on other locations shall be communicated, please.”
