Chinese Flee Site Of Zungeru Hydro Dam Hours Before Abduction of District Head, Wives of Zungeru

From Yahaya Adamu Minna

It doesn’t only rain in Niger State, it pours. A traditional ruler of the ancient town of Zungeru and two of his wives have been abducted, just as it is emerging that Chinese expatriates building the Zungeru hydro-electric dam have all been evacuated from the site.

The gunmen numbering about 20, stormed the ancient city at about 1:40am on Sunday and made their way straight to the house of the Madakin Zungeru located in the heart of the town and captured him from the room of one of the wives, Habiba.

They allegedly took away the second wife of the Madakin Zungeru in an operation which neighbors said lasted less than 45 minutes without any resistance.

The gunmen were said to have stormed the ancient town on foot, having left their cars packed on the outskirts of the town.

It was gathered no contact has been established with the gunmen, and no ransom demand, as is usually the, has been made.

Just last week, 163 students of the Salihu Tanko Islamic school in Tegina, Rafi local government area of the state were abducted less than 70 kilometres away..
Zungeru town where latest incidence occurred is about 30 kilometers from Tegina, and it is the host community to the 700 MageWatts hydro Electricity dam currently under construction.

Meanwhile it was gathered that the construction company handling the construction work on the 700 Megawatt of the Zungeru hydro dam, Messrs CNEEC-Sino hydro have abandoned the site for security seasons.

It was gathered that all the foreign expatriates working at the site have been evacuated on Saturday morning and were escorted out of the state under heavy security before the abduction of the Madakin Zungeru in the early hours of Saturday.