A Switzerland national has been abducted by gunmen in Ogun State, South-West Nigeria.
The Nigerian Police Force, on Sunday, said the man was abducted on Saturday after gunmen opened fire on his police escort on a road linking Ibese and Itori communities in the state.
Ogun State Police Spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the Swiss national and another victim kidnapped alongside were part of a small group visiting a cattle-breeding facility in the area.
Oyeyemi confirmed that the police and the vigilantes are on the trail of the kidnappers.
“The victims were coming from their farm when the kidnappers ambushed them, and the police escort there engaged them in a gun battle.
“Two of them were gunned down in the process while they made way with the expatriate and one other person.
“The police could not engage them further because of those already held hostage, but by the grace of God, we shall get them all. Our men together with the vigilante are currently on their trail.
“We also got an AK-47 loaded with 9 rounds of ammunition from them,” Oyeyemi stated.
Details of the abduction and whether the abductors have contacted authorities with ransom demands are still sketchy, but the Swiss Embassy says it is in contact with Nigerian authorities for clarification.
Heavy-armed criminal gangs, also called ‘bandits’, sometimes kidnap foreigners in Nigeria, mostly in the northwest and central regions of the country. This year, these criminal gangs have primarily targeted schools and universities to carry out mass kidnappings.
Since December, over a thousand students and pupils have been abducted. Most of them were released after their parents and guidance reportedly raised millions as ransom. Besides the bandits terrorizing parts of Nigeria, for the past 12 years, there has also been an Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria.