A police officer has been shot dead and a Chinese expatriate kidnapped in a brazen daylight ambush by suspected gunmen in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident, which occurred around 1:22 p.m. on Saturday, targeted a convoy escorting Mr. Gu Xiaowu, a staff member of Rilix Mining Company operating in the Isanlu axis of the state.
According to a confidential police situation report obtained by PLATFORM TIMES, the armed attackers laid siege to the escort team comprising operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. They opened fire on the convoy, leading to the fatal shooting of Inspector Adeniyi Ojo of the Counter-Terrorism Unit.
The late officer was said to have sustained a gunshot wound to the neck during the gun battle. Despite returning fire and expending 14 rounds of live ammunition, Ojo was eventually overwhelmed. He was rushed to the General Hospital in Isanlu where he was pronounced dead. His rifle, bearing breach number 24655, was recovered at the scene along with remaining ammunition.
The kidnappers successfully escaped into the surrounding bush with the abducted expatriate, despite the rapid deployment of a tactical response team from the Isanlu Division.
“Inspector Abubakar Isiaka quickly activated a contingency team which combed the area,” the police report read. “However, the assailants had already escaped into the forest with the kidnapped foreign national.”
Late Inspector Ojo, who hailed from Akoko South-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, was born on February 26, 1984, and enlisted into the police on March 1, 2008. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Security agencies are said to be intensifying efforts to locate and rescue the abducted Chinese national, while also hunting down the assailants.
This latest incident adds to the growing concerns over the safety of expatriates and security operatives in Nigeria’s mining regions, especially in parts of Kogi, where kidnappings and violent crimes have surged in recent months.
Police authorities in the state are yet to issue an official statement as of press time.
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