Tension has gripped Edjekota-Ogor Community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State after suspected gunmen attacked and injured a resident during an alleged abduction attempt.
The victim, whose identity was not disclosed, is currently receiving treatment at a hospital following the incident, which occurred on Monday.
Residents expressed growing concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the area, describing the attack as another indication of rising criminal activities within the community.
Speaking on the incident, the President-General of Edjekota-Ogor Community, Pastor Oghenemakpo Uyo, said the attackers emerged from a bush path along the Oviri-Ogor/Edjekota-Ogor Road and intercepted the victim while he was returning home.
According to him, the assailants attempted to force the man to accompany them to an unknown destination, but he resisted.
Uyo said the refusal reportedly angered the attackers, who allegedly assaulted the victim with machetes and later opened fire on him.
He explained that members of the community vigilante group swiftly responded after hearing gunshots and succeeded in rescuing the victim before rushing him to a medical facility for urgent treatment.
“I heard a gunshot and immediately alerted members of the community security outfit. As they advanced towards the scene, the attackers fled into the bush,” he said.
The community leader disclosed that several items were allegedly abandoned by the fleeing suspects, including a machete, a bag containing ammunition, food items, cigarettes and other personal belongings.
Narrating his ordeal, the injured victim said he had stepped out to buy food for his three-month-old baby when he was confronted by three armed men.
He alleged that the gunmen ordered him to follow them but attacked him after he refused, inflicting machete wounds and gunshot injuries before escaping as vigilantes approached the area.
Uyo further claimed that days after the attack, some suspected herders entered the community to purchase food items and were apprehended by residents.
He added that the suspects, along with items reportedly recovered from them, were subsequently handed over to the police for investigation.
The incident has heightened anxiety among residents, prompting renewed calls for increased security deployment across rural communities in the area.
A former House of Representatives aspirant for the Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency, Obakpororo Johnny, condemned the attack and urged both the Federal and Delta State governments to take decisive measures to address persistent security threats in rural areas.
Meanwhile, personnel of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited were also said to have narrowly escaped an ambush while carrying out operations within the community.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Delta State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, had yet to comment on the incident as of the time of filing this report.