Paul Osuyi, Asaba
After six months in captivity, an Egyptian national has finally breathed the sweet air of freedom following his rescue by operatives of the Delta State police command.
The foreigner was brazenly abducted in Asaba after he was lured to the state capital by a gang of international kidnappers, led by one Sunday in the pretense of awarding him a contract in Nigeria.
He was rescued at a hideout in neighbouring Okpanam town and was said to be receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital after his family members were contacted.
Public Relations Officer of the command, ASP Chuks Orisewezie, confirmed the rescue of the victim and disclosed that two suspects had been arrested so far.
“I cannot tell you now whether the suspects have collected ransom from the victim. I don’t know yet how the victim was kidnapped in Asaba; an investigation is still ongoing. I cannot tell you the names of the suspect now until we finish our investigation.
“But I am aware that there was noise in the compound where the victim was kept which attracted the attention of the residents to the compound who thereafter alerted the police, and our men responded swiftly by mobilising to the scene,” he said.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a resident in Okpanam narrated how the victim was freed.
“As I returned home on Sunday, March 10, I was very tired, I needed to rest when I heard a loud voice from our neighbour calling for help; so everybody ran to the compound but couldn’t see any fight.
“We asked what was going on, and the man told us that he was having a quarrel with his brother but we did not see the so-called brother.
“Less than five minutes later, he brought out one man and claimed that he is the brother he was having a quarrel with.
“When we asked the so-called brother why was he fighting with his brother, he could not answer; he looked suspicious, and we were not convinced with their explanation. So, we smelt a foul play.
“So, we laid a siege and began to monitor the movement. It was on that note we became convinced that all was not well, and I decided to call the police.
“When the police arrived, we went inside the duplex again and searched everywhere. Police forced all the doors open and there we found out that they kidnapped a man from Egypt and kept him since September, 2018.
“We quickly bought bread for him but he couldn’t eat it because he had no strength again, so I bought malt and milk, mix it together before he drank it. The police took them to headquarter including the victim,” the source narrated.