Tension has engulfed Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi Local Government Area in Delta State, after unidentified gunmen abducted an Army officer from his residence in the area.
The victim, identified only as Lt.-Col. Josiah, was reportedly taken from his lodge around 2 a.m. on Sunday as the attackers fired sporadically to scare residents from the base.
The abduction has sparked panic across the LGA, prompting the deployment of combined vigilante groups and soldiers from the Bomadi Division of the Joint Task Force (JTF), who have launched an intensive search for the officer in nearby bushes and communities.
During a visit to Bomadi on Tuesday, our correspondent observed residents gathered in groups, expressing fear over possible reprisals by the military against civilians.
A local source, who declined to be named for security reasons, disclosed that the officer had attended a wedding in Kpakiama, a nearby community, before returning to his lodge.
According to him, “The armed kidnappers invaded the Army Officers’ lodge about 2.30 am during which time they ransacked all the rooms of the hotel, seized all the available phones and then whisked away the military officer in an awaiting vehicle.”
The source added, *“The kidnappers came to the hotel about 2a.m. to 2.30a.m. They searched every room, took the phones from the lodgers and forced the military officer outside.
“They even fired shots before zooming out of the hotel premises with the military officer in their vehicle. There was also blood on the ground after they had left the premises.
“The following day, we heard that the JTF had found the vehicle in which they carried out the operation in the neighbouring Tuomo community, which was abandoned by the side of the Tuomo-Ogbobagbene-Tamigbe-Torugbene-Ojobo road.
“The vehicle has already been brought to their base at Bomadi-Overside.”
As of press time, attempts to obtain comments from military authorities on the incident were unsuccessful.
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