A female student of Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, Delta State, has been abducted by unidentified gunmen, as a stray bullet claimed the life of a woman close to the scene.
Eyewitnesses report that the Higher National Diploma (HND) student was kidnapped along the polytechnic road after the assailants failed to capture their intended male target, who managed to escape.
According to a community source, the attackers intercepted a Lexus 330 vehicle, opened fire indiscriminately, and created panic in the area. The male occupant of the car successfully fled into the bush, but the female passenger was unable to escape and was forcefully taken away.
“The gunmen blocked the vehicle and started shooting. The man jumped out and ran into the bush, but the girl at the driver’s side couldn’t escape. The hoodlums carried her away after riddling the car with bullets,” the source recounted.
During the chaos, a stray bullet struck a woman who owned a shop under the power line, killing her on the spot. Another man sustained a gunshot wound to his leg.
“The scene was like a war zone. People ran in different directions to avoid being hit. Later, the kidnappers demanded a N10 million ransom for the girl’s release,” another source disclosed.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Ogwashi-Uku Vigilante, Mr Henry Chukwuka, revealed that the victim’s vehicle had been moved to the Ogwashi-Uku Police Station.
However, when contacted, the spokesperson for the Delta State Police Command, Bright Edafe, stated that the case was an attempted kidnap rather than a confirmed abduction.
“There was an attempted kidnapping, and the man managed to escape, abandoning his car. We recovered the vehicle at the police station. We have tried to reach him, but his phone remains switched off. If found, he could provide further details,” Edafe said.
