A bizarre spectacle, reminiscent of a Nollywood scene was on Monday afternoon, enacted by gunmen on the streets of Okene, headquarters of Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The gunmen numbering about ten stormed the town about 3.00pm, and headed for a major pharmaceutical outlet, located in its heart, Azeko pharmacy. They shot sporadically to subdue witnesses and abducted owner of the company, simply identified as Azeez.
An eyewitness account claimed that a lone voice who wanted to raise alarm and obstruct the operation was instantly gunned down. That was enough to make other witnesses run for cover.
The horror was accentuated when after leading the victim into their waiting vehicle, the vehicle refused to start. The gunmen thereafter abandoned it and led out their victim.
It was gathered that the attackers continued to shoot while they marched their captive on the street of the town by foot, until they hijacked another vehicle with which they then ferried him to an unknown destination.
As at the time of this report, the attackers have not established contact with Azeez’s family fueling concerns about his safety.
A Chemist in Lokoja who craved anonymity said members of their association were worried about the development and contemplated closing shops in protest and to call attention to the victim’s unfortunate experience.
In a related development, gunmen also kidnapped one person in MopAmuro LGA of the State while another narrowly escaped from bandits in the same LGA at the weekend.
A source gave the name of the kadnappers victim as Sunday Abogun, a motorcycle mechanic. He was abducted in Saturday, in front of Technical College, Mopa along the Kabba-Ilorin highway.
On the same day Fulani bandits attacked the driver of a Toyota Corolla car between Oke-Agi and Imela. They damaged the vehicle when gunshot could not penetrate his skin. The victim managed to escape.
The News gathered that worried by the two events, youths in the LGA staged a protest in Mopa on Sunday and called for improved security in the area.
The State Police Command said it was still awaiting information on the Okene abduction. William Aya, State Police Public Relations Officer PPRO, reportedly promised to revert once he has details.