Rampaging hoodlums have killed one person and abducted three others in Anambra State at the weekend.
The dare-devils who carried the attacks at different parts of the state on Saturday at about 8pm killed a petrol station attendant at St. Michael’s Secondary School junction, Nimo, Njikoka LGA of the State. The hoodlums had thereafter abducted and taken away the patrol station boss, who was driving in his SUV vehicle.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the kidnappers had later on their way kidnapped another person at Oraukwu in the neighbouring Anaocha LGA while two other persons were earlier that day kidnapped at Ifite-Awka in Awka South LGA of the State.
Some eyewitnesses of the Ifite-Awka incidence told LEADERSHIP that the kidnappers had first at about 2pm stormed the area, kidnapped a man and whisked him away while firing sporadically to scare away people in the area.
They were said to have again returned to the same area driving in their jeep and picked another man who was driving in a Lexus 350 vehicle and quietly made away with him unchallenged.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement on Sunday confirmed the attacks and said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Nnaghe Itam, had ordered manhunt for the dare-devils, adding that the abandoned vehicle of one of the victims had been recovered.
SP Ikenga said: “The Commissioner of Police Anambra State, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, states that efforts are ongoing to arrest the assailants and rescue the victims of the abduction.
“The incident happened by 2pm on 13/7/2024 and was captured in a video along Ifite – Amansea road, Awka. Police responding team recovered the abandoned victim’s vehicle, and joint security measures/personnel positioning are already in place to forestall such/related incident in the State.
“Police responding team recovered the victims’ vehicles and has emplaced Joint Security Measures/Operational positioning to forestall such or related incident in the State.”