Two Chinese expatriates working in a mining site in Ihietutu, Ishiagu in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have been abducted by unknown gunmen, police said on Thursday.
The abducted Chinese nationals are employees at Greenfield Metals Nigeria Limited which specialises in lead and zinc mining.
Ebonyi police spokesperson, Loveth Odah, confirmed the abduction in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.
She said the victims were abducted on Wednesday at the mining site.
Odah, however, explained that the police were yet to establish the motive behind the abduction, adding that preliminary investigation had commenced.
“We got the information yesterday, a detachment of our tactical team was dispatched to the area with a view to unraveling the true situation and also to rescue the victims,” she said.
“The team is yet to return to furnish us with relevant information about the incident.
“But, I can confirm to you that we received a distress call from the area yesterday informing the police of an alleged abduction of two Chinese working in a mining site at Ihietutu in Ishiagu community.
“We are waiting for information from our men before we can make informed comments on the motive behind the alleged abduction.
“For now, we cannot say if the abduction was for ransom purposes or not because the abductors are yet to establish contacts with the company.”
In March, kidnappers invaded the company’s Life-Camp at Ugwuajirija and kidnapped two Chinese nationals.
The expatriates were released after an undisclosed amount of money was paid as ransom.
