Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Tuesday evening shot a passer-by and kidnapped a businessman (name withheld).
Metronetworknews gathered that the incident took place at about 7pm, along Diliosa road at Eliowhani town in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.
It was learnt that the businessman was attacked while returning from a filling station where he went to get petrol for his generator.
It was also learnt that the victim was riding with his young son of about 7 years old in a toyota RAV 4 Limited AWD SUV car with Abuja registration number YAB 800 NP when they were attacked.
A resident who spoke with our reporter on condition of anonymity said that the passer-by was shot on his stomach when he tried to intervene.
“The man went to buy fuel. So, as he was returning home, some hefty gunmen numbering about four in a jeep, attacked him at Diliosa road. He was riding in his car with his son, a boy of about 7 years old. They double crossed his vehicle with their own jeep. One of them came down and dragged him out of his car while another gunman pulled out his son.
“They flogged him with the matchet in their hands as he struggled with them. His son was shouting,’leave my daddy alone’. When they saw that his cry was attracting passers-by, they gave him a dirty slap and asked him to run away. The little boy ran to their house, which is nearby to inform his mother who rushed to the place where the car was abandoned.
“One passer-by who went to intervene was shot on his stomach. He thought it was just a quarrel between two motorists plying the road.
“The gunmen fired many shots into the air to escape from the scene.
“Some police men from Okporo division later arrived the scene and interviewed the victim’s wife and left”, the resident narrarted.
Metronetworknews gathered that the sound of the gun shots caused pandemonium as residents, by-standers and shop owners scampered for safety in different direction.
All efforts to speak with the state PPRO, Grace Iringe-Koko, on the development proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
