Chinese workers kidnapped in Ebonyi

Two Chinese nationals working on a road project in Ebonyi State have been kidnapped by an armed gang. Employees of the Tongyi group of companies, Sun Zhixin and Wang Quing Hu were working in Ebonyi State when they were apprehended at around 3.30pm local time yesterday.

“The area was combed to track down the bandits but no result, a track down rescue team has been dispatched to move on in order to rescue the Chinese nationals unhurt,” a police spokeswoman told the Premium Times newspaper.

According to the newspaper, the spokeswoman expressed “shock” that the company was working at the remote site without having applied for police protection. The site was described as being at located at the Ivo river, at the boundary between Ebonyi and Enugu states.

Kidnappings and violence against foreigners in Nigeria is not uncommon. On Friday, 19 April a 29-year-old British woman was killed by gunmen while on holiday in the northern city of Kaduna. A Nigerian man was also killed in the attack, while three people were kidnapped.