A gang of suspected kidnappers, on Sunday, stormed Lemna community, in Calabar Municipality Council twice between the hours of 7am and 11.30am.
At the first strike, they successfully kidnapped three persons, dragging them through the dump site through the beach into their waiting speed boat.
Last Monday, they had kidnapped three persons, including a woman, a baker and another man. They demanded N15m before the first kidnapped victims were released.
An eyewitnesses in the neighborhood said they came through the Cross River State water board pump centre and kidnapped three more persons.
According to the eyewitness, with supports from local vigilantes, they were able to apprehend two of the suspected kidnappers and handed them over to the police on Sunday morning.
“As a result, the other team members had to come back, shooting and looking to rescue their members. But community members have defied their shooting. We are all out with your machetes at the beach since the police have refused to come,” the source said.
Describing how the three members of the community were taken away early this morning, a private security personnel in the Lemna community said, “they held AK-47 rifles and shot several times. From where I hid, I saw that they dragged one of the victims to their speed boat like they did last week Monday. They wore police berets and uniforms.”
Another resident, who did not want his name mentioned, said, “It is now very disgusting and embarrassing. Our neighbourhood in Lemna is no longer safe. We live in fear as this kidnap and armed robbery incidents have become weekly now.
“The victims were shouting, calling for help but they threatened to shoot them.
“They shot and broke into my neighbour’s apartment, carted away his properties and still dragged him into their speed boat.”
He appealed to the police and the navy to establish their presence in the community, adding that they no longer feel safe anymore
Neither the Commissioner of Police in the State, Alhassan Aminu, nor the PPRO Irene Ugbo responded to several calls.
