Three young men have been kidnapped by gunmen suspected to be herders in Ajalli River in the Ezeagu local government area of Enugu State.
The men, who hail from the Akama Oghe community in the area, were said to have gone to the river to perform some sacrifices when the gunmen swooped on them.
It was gathered, however, that the incident saw one of the victims escaping from captivity in the wee hours of Sunday morning, while the rest were rescued late Sunday night.
A community leader, who confirmed the development in Enugu said it was because of the escape that the rest were rescued.
He said: “We got the information Sunday morning after the man escaped from the den of kidnappers. Thankfully, he ran into some operatives of the Forest Guard, who ensured the rest of the victims were freed that same Sunday. And they were eventually rescued close to the RCC office along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway.
“They had gone to Ajalli to perform the sacrifice. It is what our people do. But, what they never envisaged was that the criminals were lurking around in the forest. So, they kidnapped them and marched them into the forest from where the other person escaped. We thank God for their safety. We thank our security men. They are doing well. Without them, police cannot operate successfully in this state.”
In a viral video shared by vigilante operatives in the area, an escaped victim, who identified himself as Chiemelie, said they were leaving the river after performing their sacrifice when they were accosted and their motorbike was taken away from them by the gunmen.
He stated: “They are Fulani people. But they were mixing their Fulani with the Hausa language. They marched us across the river and further into the forest, swinging their AK-47 rifles.
“But, I had to escape when they asked us to lie down for two hours. Two of them chased me but I continued and jumped into the muddy river. I stayed there inside the river for as long as I could until the gunmen turned back. I believe it was God that saved me.”
Meanwhile, police operatives of Enugu State Command, serving in Hawk Tactical Squad, have rescued travellers who were kidnapped along Ette Road in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, en route to Abuja.
Reports had it that between Thursday and Friday penultimate week, some commercial buses travelling to and from Abuja were abducted and taken hostage by suspected kidnappers.
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