At least two staff of the Nigerian Railway Corporation at Agbor train station have been kidnapped by gunmen throwing the community into panic and apprehension, The PUNCH reports.
The victims were identified as Peter Osazuwa, STCI Level 10 officer in Operations and Commercial Department and Level Nine Officer from Kwara State, Giwa Mohammed in the Stores and Procurement Department.
A source in NRC who does not want to be named informed that the victims were staffers of the Warri-Itakpe train service in Agbor, while the incident took place some few minutes distance from the Owa-Alero ancestral residence of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
The source said, “They were kidnapped on Thursday evening in Owa-Oyibu, on their way from the town where they went to buy some food items. The incident happened at the junction that leads to the Abavo market.
“The tyres of the Jeep that was driven by them were destroyed, the windscreen shattered They were thereafter kidnapped.
“Recently, the kidnappers contacted the people close to the Agbor train station and demanded N40 million.”
Another source in Agbor said the incident has thrown the whole community into panic and apprehension.
Several calls, SMS and WhatsApp messages to the Managing Director/Chief Executive of NRC, Fidet Okhiria and his Personal Assistant, Dennis Ujah, for response, were not replied to.
The Spokesperson for NRC, Yakubu Mahmood, said he would get back because it is a security issue.
But our correspondent learnt that the NRC management has been briefed and they are on top of the situation.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer for NRC in Agbor Station, Olanrewaju Oke, said the matter is being handled by the police and security agencies, adding that the matter was under investigation.
He said, “The incident has been reported to management and I can’t tell you anything because the MD is not around. I can’t tell you something I don’t have details. But the police and security agencies are on top of it.
“The matter is under investigation.”