Ike Nnachi, Abakaliki
One person was killed on New Year day and two others abducted when gunmen stormed Afikpo community in Ebonyi State.
Residents told our reporter that the incident happened around 8:00pm along Ndibe Beach Road.
The gunmen allegedly trailed a convoy of cars entering the community and opened fire on them.
The convoy was said to be carrying some indigenes who returned from abroad led by one Mr Alazu.
The gunmen trailed the indigenes who came in from their London base to the area and opened fire on one of the cars behind Mr Alazu’s Jeep.
Their shooting forced the cars to stop and they gunme immdiately whisked two girls, who came from London, and a boy, a relation in their company who came in from Owerri, into their car.
However, the alert driver of Mr Alazu’s car refused to stop but continued to driver to escape from the gunmen.
Then in a bid to stop the car, they shot at it repeatedly and subsequently burst the tires.
An eye witnesses, Mr Onya Idam, said the brave driver managed to escape with the bullet ridden car with his boss, Mr Alazu, who is believed to be the main target of the kidnap, though he sustained bullet wounds.
The kidnappers thereafter zoomed off with their three abductees but on noticing that one of the girls, Chinyere, who also came in from London for Christmas Holiday, was lifeless after receiving some gun shots, they pushed her out of the car.
Her body was later recovered and deposited at a mortuary.
It was gathered that the kidnappers have established contact with the family of the abductees and demanded payment N50m ransom.
Meanwhile, the main target, Mr Alazu was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Abakaliki, capital of the state for medical attention.
The Police spokesperson in the state, Joshua Ukandu, could not be reached for comments at the time of filing this report.
