Early on Thursday morning, a disturbing event occurred in the Obangede community, situated within the Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State, in the North Central region of Nigeria. A Chinese national, who had been employed as a road engineer in the area, was abducted by a group believed to be terrorists. In the course of the kidnapping, an officer from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was tragically killed. This officer was reported to be among the security personnel assigned to protect the engineer at the time of the incident.
Details regarding the identities of both the kidnapped engineer and the deceased NSCDC officer were not immediately available, as reported by a local source to SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters sought to confirm the incident and obtain more information by contacting William Ovye Aya, the spokesperson for the state police. Aya indicated that he needed to verify the details and stated that he would provide an update at a later time.
This incident is part of a concerning pattern of similar events in the area. For instance, on February 3, about 14 passengers en route to Abuja from the southeast, traveling with God Is Good (GIG) Motors and ABC Transport, were kidnapped in Inyele Eteke, located in the Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State. The abducted passengers were fortunate to regain their freedom a few days following the incident.
The assailants reportedly commandeered the vehicles before taking the occupants hostage, demanding a ransom of N15 million from each passenger for their release. These repeated kidnappings highlight the growing security challenges in the region, stressing the urgent need for effective strategies to ensure the safety of residents and address the menace of armed groups.