Two Foreigners, Other Kidnapped In Delta

Source: thewillnigeria.com

SAN FRANCISCO, May 25, (THEWILL) – Two foreign nationals and a Nigerian have been kidnapped by gunmen in Patani Local Government of Delta State and taken to an unknown location.

The victims who are employees of OKMAS Nig Ltd, the firm handling the Patani-Oduophori Road Project for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), were abducted on May 20 at the construction site.

The spokesman of the company, Owhondah Ebere, gave the names of the expatriates as Sari Naser Karin, a Syrian and Tarek Maroun, a Lebanese, while the Nigerian was not identified.

The spokesman said the gunmen numbering 7, all armed with AK 47 riffles and dressed in military uniform, stormed the project site and whisked away the employees.

He said: “The gunmen came in speedboats through the Sagbama creek to Agoloma-Toru-Apalabiri community and subsequently escaped via the same route.”

Ebere explained that it was the first recorded case of kidnap of staff of the company since the commencement of the project in 2013, adding that a formal complaint had been lodged with the police and the Department Secret Security (DSS) headquarters in the state capital of Asaba.

He said that the company was yet to be contacted by the abductors, a situation which has forced construction workers to down tools at the site in protest.

The aggrieved workers are seeking adequate security for the workers to forestall a repeat of the incident.

The Delta State Police spokesman, Ms. Celestina Kalu, confirmed the incident.