Unknown gunmen yesterday stormed the house of a Lebanese, Ibrahim Katler residing in Trans Amadi area of Port Harcourt and killed him.
He was reportedly shot in the head on a day heavy shooting was reported along Okrika Jetty, Rivers State leading security agencies in the state to be put on red alert. As the war raged, police rescued two children in two separate kidnap attempts.
The case of the slain Lebanese was confirmed as armed robbery by the Commissioner of Police in the State, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu who said that details of the incident were not fully collated.
THISDAY gathered from neighbours that the Lebanese was rushed to an undisclosed hospital where he gave up the ghost.
The report of the shooting reported by locals near the Okrika Jetty was however denied by the Spokesman of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Musa Sagir and the naval arm of the Task Force.
The two rescued children include 9-year old Margaret Shitta-Bey who was kidnapped at 6.30am by unknown gun men yesterday morning at Ada George Road on her way to Living Word Magnet School, D-Line, Port Harcourt.
On lookers who witnessed the kidnap alerted a police patrol team which chased the kidnappers leading to their abandoning the girl and fleeing into the creeks.
Also 10-year old Chukwukere Nwovikuo, son of Emuoha Local Government Chairmanship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the March 29 local government elections was taken from his hostel at school while asleep.
The boy, who is a boarding student of Architect Deacon Brown Education Center in Woji area of the city had been successfully taken away and left in custody of a woman in Choba awaiting nightfall to transfer him to the creeks.
Suspecting foul play, the woman whom the child was left in her custody alerted the police who laid ambush for the kidnappers.
“When we asked the boy some questions, we discovered that the people who took him to the woman never informed the parents so we subsequently waited for them to arrive to take him to their hide out and arrested them”, a police source said.
Police Spokesperson in Rivers State, DSP Ireju Barasua confirmed the story and enthused that their new strategy for keeping the State safe was working out.
She credited the public with the timely information which led to the rescue of the children and pleaded with the general public to be vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements to the police.
The shooting may not be unconnected with the constant raids on the hideouts and armoury of wanted Niger Delta Vigilante Movement leader, Mr. Ateke Tom from whose place a lot of arms were recovered Monday.
Locals said the shootings may have been an attempt by the hoodlums to dislodge the JTF from Okochiri but the Task Force has denied knowledge of the shooting.
Mar122008