Two members of a neighborhood watch group in Igboeze North Local Government Area have been killed by suspected kidnappers.
The incident happened in Aguibeje, Enugu Ezike, when armed men reportedly tried to kidnap a Catholic priest. According to sources, the attackers broke into the parish house where the priest lives. The priest raised an alarm, calling for help.
Neighborhood watch members quickly responded to rescue him. During a gun battle between the operatives and the suspected kidnappers, two of the neighborhood watch members were shot dead. Another member was seriously injured.
A witness, who spoke anonymously, said the attackers fled after the shooting. While escaping toward the bush between Aguibeje and Kogi State, the gunmen reportedly kidnapped a man identified as Mr. Patrick Eze and his daughter from the Umu Ossai clan.
As of the time of this report, the Enugu State Police Command has not released an official statement on the incident. It is also unclear whether the kidnappers have contacted the victims’ families to demand ransom.
Meanwhile, some residents have called on the Enugu State government to deploy members of the Forest Guards who recently completed training at a mobile police training camp in Osun State.
A security expert, Meletus Nnaji, said more than 1,000 indigenes of Enugu State were sponsored by the government for the training and have returned but are yet to be deployed. He urged the government to send them into the forests, saying criminals are hiding in the bushes and should be removed using better intelligence and equipment.