Enugu Neighbourhood Watch Foils Kidnapping Attempt, Kills Two Attackers In Udi Local Council

The leader of the neighbourhood watch group, identified as Ebuka, was said to have sustained several gunshots and he is critically lying in hospital where doctors are battling to save his life.

Members of the Enugu State Neighbourhood Watch Group in the Udi local government area of the state have foiled a kidnapped incident at the Police Post along 9th Mile, Udi, Oji-River road.

SaharaReporters gathered that the neighbourhood watch group also neutralised two of the kidnappers who were said to have carried out numerous kidnapping attacks and killings in the council area.

A security source told SaharaReporters on Monday that the incident happened on Friday when the hoodlums attempted to take over a police post that was abandoned because of several kidnapping incidents at the location.

The leader of the neighbourhood watch group, identified as Ebuka, was said to have sustained several gunshots and he is critically lying in hospital where doctors are battling to save his life.

Meanwhile, the police authorities have declined comment on the incident as the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, has not denied or confirmed the incident.

Ndukwe has not responded to text messages on the incident or answered his calls.

However, some residents of the area – Obioma, Abia, Amokwe, and Agbudu have decried incessant kidnapping cases in the area, despite several police and military checkpoints dotted all the roads in and around the community.

Mrs Ngozi Orji, who spoke to SaharaReporters, said that more than five residents abducted three weeks now have been seen.

“We don’t know whether they have killed them. Those five residents were kidnapped at the police and military checkpoints. What they (hoodlums) mostly Fulani herdsmen that were living in the hilly areas do is; they know when the soldiers and police leave their checkpoints along the road. Then, they wear military and police uniforms, block the roads, and kidnap unsuspecting members of the public.”

She added, “We need better security management. Often, we tend to believe that security agencies were part of the kidnapping cases in our area because how do they know when security agents were not in those checkpoints.”