The contractor handling the East-West Road project in Delta State, the multi-million naira Trans-Warri-Ode-Itsekhiri Bridge and other roads has pulled its workers out of the sites until security in the state improves.
This comes after a Lebanese engineer with the construction company, Mr Harry Fadi, was abducted and a soldier was killed on Tuesday. This led the management of the company to hold a meeting where this decision was taken.
Sources at the company who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that they had been asked to vacate the sites until further notice as they were working under serious threat, even though the source admitted that there was no such threat at the Trans-Warri sites.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Ughelli as men of the Military Joint Task Force, police and local vigilante were seen patrolling and mounting road blocks apparently searching for the perpetrators of the heinous crime.
Also, a visit to the council secretariat found the Council Chairman, Mr Friday Akpoyibo, in a meeting with security chiefs in the area.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Setraco, Mr Edmund Eke, said that the suspected kidnappers were yet to get in touch with the company. He called on security agencies to not relent in tracking the criminals, as he expressed his sadness over the incident.
In his reaction to the incident, the Youth Leader of the Peoples’ Democratic Leader, PDP, in the state, Chief Arthur Akpowowo described the incident as unfortunate.
He condemned the killing of the soldier and the abduction of Mr Fadi and urged the security agents to look even beyond the state in their bid to arrest the criminals.
He said the kidnap of expatriates did not bode well for the people, especially as Setraco was working on the East-West Road which they all have been yearning for its completion. Hence, anything that would hinder or slow down work on the road would not be accepted.
Armed men and kidnappers appear to have resumed their nefarious activities in Delta State in the wake of the yuletide season.