A young man whose identity has not been confirmed has been killed by gunmen while they were abducting a woman.
The Guardian learnt that the kidnapping incident happened at Ijekpe village in Ette community in Ogugu district of Kogi State.
The incident was said to have occurred at about 11 pmon Wednesday night when the gunmen stormed the village
An eyewitness, Simon Abu, said the gunmen held the entire community captive with gunshots booming from various directions. “It was early this morning that we discovered the gunshots were those of the kidnappers. They succeeded in abducting one woman, and in the process, a bullet hit one member of the community, who died instantly”.
The Guardian learnt that men of the Nigerian army have been deployed and are currently combing the forests in a joint operation with local security forces.
Community sources claimed that the Etteh community and environs at the Kogi-Enugu boundaries have been overwhelmed with incessant kidnapping incidents in recent times.
The residents appealed to Kogi State government to do more at the boundaries as well as they do in the hinterlands across the state.
Meanwhile, the Kogi East Neighbourhood Watch (KENW) has said they are experiencing more incidences of kidnapping now than they experienced in December last year.
A few days ago, a woman travelling from the East to Kaduna was rescued from kidnappers by the troops who pursued the kidnappers and forced them to abandon the traveller.
Local vigilantes have also raised alarm over the influx of cattle breeders currently flooding Oforachi, Odolu and Igala-ogba forests.
Meanwhile, residents have been advised against night journeys on the claim that search and rescue operations are much more difficult with poor visibility.
