An eyewitness, simply identified as Emmanuel, has revealed how he narrowly escaped being abducted alongside three travellers along the along the Obiri-Ikwerre-Airport Road in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state by gunmen on Wednesday.
Emmanuel told our correspondent that three occupants of a car used for public transport were dragged out and taken away.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the gunmen blocked the left flank of the road, which is about a five-minute drive from the Port Harcourt International Airport Roundabout, and reportedly ambushed some vehicles.
The gunmen shot sporadically, reached for some of the occupants and whisked them away to an unknown destination.
The spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Thursday afternoon.
Iringe-Koko said the Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, had drafted tactical team commanders and Divisional Police Officers to the area in order to rescue the abductees.
She also assured the state residents that with the manhunt embarked upon by the police, the hoodlums would be apprehended sooner than later.
She said, “I just spoke with the Divisional Police Officer, who confirmed that three persons were kidnapped.
“The Commissioner of Police has tasked the Tactical Team Commanders and the DPOs within that jurisdiction with putting adequate security measures in place, ensuring that those hoodlums are arrested.”
In his narration, Emmanuel further said one of the victims who attempted to resist the gunmen was shot before being taken away.
He said he escaped death by the whiskers after manoeuvring his way out of the dangerous situation and hid under a vehicle.
“Not too far from the airport junction en route to Obiri Ikwerre flyover, I ran into an ambush with about eight to 10 other cars.
“We all saw the kidnappers shooting, and we reversed to race back to the airport junction, but we were surrounded from the back, front and all around.
“People jumped out of their cars to escape, and some were shot or apprehended.
“I jumped out to run, but there was nowhere to run to, and at that moment, the Lord showed me a car, spoke to me and said, ‘Enter under this car.’ I obeyed.
“How can a grown man enter fully under a Honda saloon car that’s not jacked up without his body being seen?
“But because I heard His voice, that became my saving grace. Three kidnappers walked past me, dragging a man, and one entered the car.
“I had to turn off the engine because the car was on.
“I’m alive today because of His mercies and covenant of protection over His children.
“My wife would have been a young widow if the bullets had hit me. My young children would have been fatherless, but God said No!”
