Barely two months after 17 soldiers were killed in the Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, another army officer, Lt. Col. Richard Otobore (retd), an indigene of Afiesere in Ughelli North Council area, was reportedly kidnapped, last Saturday, by gunmen in the premises of a hotel in the neighbouring Ufuoma community, within the same axis.
Also kidnapped alongside the 57-year-old army officer is a male friend (identity not disclosed for security reasons). They were said to have been trailed from a long distance by their captors before being accosted in a nearby hotel, where they ran into for refuge. They were both reportedly kidnapped with a brand-new Toyota SUV recently acquired by the abducted army officer.
It was leant that the hotel manager, who attempted to prevent the kidnappers from taking away the victims, sustained a close-range bullet injury, while they shot sporadically into the air as they escaped with their captives.
The police authorities close to the scene of the incident hinted that the abductors have opened a channel of negotiation with the families of the victims, but they were yet to reach an agreement on the ransom.
It was gathered that operatives of the Delta State police command have commenced investigations into the case and are on the trail of the kidnappers.
