Gunmen have reportedly kidnapped a Very Important Person (VIP) after attacking his convoy along East-West road in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
The assailants also shot dead a driver and a personal aide to the VIP, who were in one of the vehicles that was part of the convoy.
It was gathered that three police officers attached to the VIP, also sustained serious bullet wounds and are receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
The identity of the abducted victim is still unknown, however, the Nation reports that he is suspected to be a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
Another report identified him as a prominent chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State.
According to an eyewitness, the fully armed men dressed in military uniform, blocked the convoy of the politician and opened fire on the first vehicle conveying the civilians.
The source said the criminals, whose driver was a woman, succeeded in abducting their target, and carted away what looked like a bag of money from his vehicle, while shooting sporadically to scare passersby.
“I was sitting here (when) all of a sudden, I saw a vehicle blocking an escort. The first thing they did was to shoot the police escort, the one in the front,” the source explained.
“The police officers, one of them, his hand was destroyed as well as his back. Meanwhile, the other police officer, his hand and his neck were affected. They rushed them to the hospital
“They kidnapped the man. They took his money and everything inside his car. The armed robbers were in a Sienna vehicle, a new one, the latest Sienna, and it was a woman that drove it. It took more than two hours before police officers came and carried the vehicle and the people that were already dead. They (criminals) were completely dressed in army uniform.”
Spokesperson of the State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, who confirmed the incident, dismissed reports that two police officers died in the attack.
Iringe-Koko said the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Okon Effiong, has deployed tactical teams to secure the release of the abducted victim.
