Fresh fears have gripped residents of Uduere community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State after suspected kidnappers allegedly killed a security guard and abducted his 14-year-old daughter in an attack that has heightened concerns over worsening insecurity in the area.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, barely a week after suspected herdsmen reportedly attacked and macheted a young man in nearby Edjekota community.
The deceased, identified as Umukoro Obukohwo Emmanuel, was reportedly hacked to death while on duty as a security guard at a poultry farm before the assailants abducted his teenage daughter.
According to community sources, the attackers appeared to have trailed Emmanuel to his workplace and struck as he opened the gate to the premises.
“The deceased was a security guard at a poultry in the community before he was gruesomely murdered, with one of his hands chopped off and his neck severely cut,” a source said.
The source added that after killing the guard, the assailants forced their way into the residential quarters within the compound.
“While they were breaking into the apartment, the innocent young girl came out of her room to find out what was happening. Immediately she came out, the kidnappers seized and took her away,” the source said.
Another community source, who requested anonymity, blamed the deteriorating security situation on the disbandment of a local security outfit, alleging that community leaders had allowed politics to override residents’ safety.
“Before now, the community had an internal security outfit, but because it was not comfortable for some persons, they disbanded it, and this is what we are now experiencing,” the source said.
“Those who were uncomfortable with the security outfit even threatened to have us arrested after we reported the matter at the Ughelli Area Command.”
The source appealed to the Delta State Government to urgently intervene.
“Some leaders are playing politics with the lives of Uduere community people. The Nigerian Constitution guarantees the right to life, but some persons are taking our lives for granted.
“We are calling on the Delta State Government to prioritise the safety of Uduere community people because life has no duplicate.”
Further investigations revealed that the kidnappers have reportedly contacted the girl’s family and are demanding a ransom of N100 million for her release.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Delta State Police Command were unsuccessful. Calls and text messages sent to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, were neither answered nor returned.
However, a security source attached to the command confirmed the incident, saying police operatives had launched efforts to rescue the victim and apprehend the perpetrators.
“We are on top of the situation, and the police are on the trail of the hoodlums,” the source said.
