Two Chinese Nationals have been kidnapped while five security personas have been killed following the attack from some gunmen who invaded a mining site on Zango City, the outskirts of Lokoja, Kogi State capital.
It was gathered that the gunmen in large numbers had a field day on Monday when they stormed a mining site in Zango City and killed five persons, made up of three vigilante members and two staff of the mining site before they abducted two Chinese citizens.
Locals said the unfortunate attack occurred in the evening at about 5 pm and lasted for about 45 minutes when sounds of sporadic gunshots emanated from the hilly range behind Al Azhar International School. They said the suspected gunmen were about 20, with many of them bearded.
It was gathered that while the audible gunshots from the mountain were unrelenting, people hurriedly closed their shops, and panic-stricken locals abandoned their homes to take cover in other places considered safe.
A hunter who preferred not to be named claimed to have participated in evacuating the corpses, identifying the deceased vigilantes simply as Abdulazeez, Tijani, and Yusuf, said gory photos of their remains were sighted.
Abdul, a resident and shop owner in Zango, said he heard the sounds of the gunshots, “Initially, we did not know what was happening, and the gunshots were loud. I had to leave the area along with other people out of fear. This is very bad and worrisome in the state capital. We urge the government to step up security in the state.”
Efforts to reach the police including telephone calls and messages to the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, William Anya, did not yield results.