The Rivers State Police Command has verified that three travellers were kidnapped on Wednesday by gunmen along the Obiri-Ikwerre – Airport Road in the state’s Ikwerre Local Government Area.
It was stated that the gunmen attacked some vehicles and stopped the left flank of the road, which is roughly five minutes’ drive from the Port Harcourt International Airport roundabout.
While they kidnapped some of the car occupants, the gunmen opened fire randomly.
Grace Iringe-Koko, a spokeswoman for the state police command, confirmed the event to our correspondent on Thursday.
According to Iringe-Koko, Olatunji Disu, the Commissioner of Police, has dispatched Divisional Police Officers and Tactical Team Commanders to the scene in order to rescue the victims.
She said, “I just spoke with the Divisional Police Officer who confirmed that three persons were kidnapped.
“The Commissioner of Police has asked Tactical Team Commanders and the DPOs within that jurisdiction to put adequate security measures in place, ensuring that the hoodlums are arrested.”
Meanwhile, three people inside a car that was being utilized for public transit were dragged out and hauled away, according to an eyewitness known only as Emmanuel, who barely survived the incident.
Emmanuel went on to say that one of the victims who tried to fight off the attackers was shot and then taken away.
He claimed that after slyly navigating out of the predicament and hiding beneath a car, he managed to escape death.
He said, “Not too far from the Airport J8nction en route to Obiri Ikwerre Flyover, I ran into an ambush along 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 salon 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’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.”
