Kidnapped UNICEM contractors regain freedom – Police

By Inyali Peter, Calabar

The staff of MacMahon company, contracting firm with United Cement Company of Nigeria (UNICEM) who were kidnapped last week in Cross River State have regained freedom according to the state police command.

The Police Public Relations officer in the state, Mrs Irene Ugbo, confirmed that the foreign hostages regained freedom in the early hours of Sunday

Irene explained that though no ransom was paid for their release but the victims sustained injuries.

“The abducted expatriates have regained freedom. They were released today (Sunday), no ransom was paid for their release but the expatriates sustained injuries.

” They are currently receiving treatment in the hospital and hopefully they will be discharged soon,” she said.

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It would be recalled that suspected Bakassi militants killed one, kidnapped three expatriates and two Nigerians Calabar.

A witness, who pleaded not to be named for security reasons, said the gunmen, suspected to be militants, waylaid the contractors who were going to Akansoko, a suburb of Calabar, where UNICEM has its operations.

“We were going to work along Jonathan By-pass at Akansoko, we spotted suspected militants blocking a vehicle conveying MacMahon company staff.

“As they stopped the car, they opened fire and killed the driver on the spot and then took four expatriates away.”

The source said one of the expatriates managed to escape before the gunmen took his four colleagues away.

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He said the gunmen killed the driver when he attempted to escape, adding that hours after the attack, the man’s body was still lying at a spot near a major filling station along the bypass.

When contacted, the communication officer for Larfarge, Viola Graham-Douglas, confirmed the incident.