How gunmen kidnapped Turkey nationals at a local drinking joint in Kwara

Yasin Colak (33), Senerapal (40), Ergun Yurdakul (35) and Seyit Keklik (25) were clinking glasses and having their fill in a local pub in Gbale village, Edu local government area of Kwara State when masked gunmen arrived the scene and ordered them to surrender.

Before long, they were bundled into a waiting van and whisked into the darkness.

The incident occurred on the night of Saturday, July 20, 2019, and the Turks earned a living as expatriates at Instabul Concrete Limited in the village, according to local media reports.

Police officers on duty (The Nation) AFP

Kwara Police spokesperson, Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the abduction, told the media that a police team from Operation Puff Adder has been dispatched by the Commissioner of Police in the State, Kayode Egbetokun, to commence immediate rescue of the expatriates and bring the hoodlums to heel.

AFP reports that the gunmen were six in number.

Kidnappings and the Nigerian state

It is the second time in July that Turkish nationals have been abducted in Nigeria.

On July 13, ten Turks were abducted when sea pirates attacked a Turkish flagged general cargo vessel off the coast of Nigeria.

The Turkish seamen are yet to be rescued.

Abductions for cash are common in Nigeria, with foreigners frequently targeted, despite incessant clampdowns by specialist and sophisticated police squads.

In early July, gunmen kidnapped two Chinese men in Edo State, south of Nigeria and killed their police orderly.

According to the police, 93 suspected kidnappers and armed robbers have been arrested in the past two weeks (Twitter/@MrSomoye) Pulse Nigeria

The victims, who were staff members of a glass company in the state, were on their way home after close of work when the gunmen attacked them, killed the police officer who accompanied them and kidnapped the two expats.

In June, two Lebanese workers of a construction company were kidnapped in Rivers State.

New York Times reports that the workers were abducted on Friday, June 7, 2019, from a site in the Andoni local government area of the State.