Lagos-Ibadan rail service: Gunmen kidnap four NRC expatriates
…Police escort killed, service disrupted
By Bankole Taiwo & Seun Ibiyemi
The abduction of four Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Chinese expatriates on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge railway stopped work on Thursday, our correspondent gathered.
Gunmen on Wednesday abducted four expatriates working on the standard gauge railway, killing a police officer attached to them.
The incident occurred barely two days after the commencement of full commercial operations of the standard gauge railway service from Lagos to Ibadan on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, activities
Our correspondent also gathered that, the gunmen, numbering eight laid ambush for the victims at Adeaga/Alaagba village a border community between Oyo and Ogun.
It was further gathered that, the kidnappers, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen and dressed in black caftan stormed the site of the rail project at Adeaga/Alaagba village in Odeda local government, killed the policeman while struggling to abduct the Chinese workers.
The corpse of the policeman killed has been evacuated by a team of policemen and men of the Federal Road Sector Commission (FRSC).
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed the incident to journalists on Thursday morning.
He disclosed that, the Command has deployed tactical teams and are on the trail of the gunmen.
Oyeyemi, however, said the police could not ascertain whether the gunmen were Fulani herdsmen.
“It is true, the incident happened yesterday (Wednesday). The victims are Chinese expatriates working at the construction site at the terminus of the railway around Alaagba area, not far from Kila.
“The gunmen laid ambush for the victims on their way and they were attacked. A police officer escorting them was killed.
“We have started the investigation since yesterday (Wednesday), we are on the trail of those people and hopefully we are going to get them.
“All our tactical teams have been deployed to that direction and we are trying to locate them and we believe that by the grace of God, we are going to get them.
“We cannot say for now if the abductors are Fulani herdsmen until when we are able to get them,” the PPRO said.
