French couple, Mr. Nagnan
Denis, 52, and Mrs. Nagnan Mee Lavaud Liana, 53, have been attacked by gunmen
in Ebonyi State.
The incident occurred around
8p.m. on Monday in Abomege, Onicha Local Government Area.
Mr Denis, who was allegedly
shot in the leg and macheted on various parts of his body, died on the spot.
His wife, it was gathered,
was injured.
Governor Dave Umahi broke
the news at a meeting with staff and students of Ebonyi State University
(EBSU), Abakaliki.
According to him, the
tourists got to Abaomege in the night from where they were to connect Calabar,
Cross River State. They went into a bush to set up their tent and rest.
Umahi siad: “As they were
having their rest, gunmen stormed the area and shot them. The gunmen took one
thousand, one hundred and sixty euros of their money and N13,000.
‘’Sad enough, they shot and
killed the husband of the woman. The body has been deposited in the mortuary.
‘’The wife was so
devastated. What we did was to put her in hotel accommodation and gave her some
money.”
The Governor described the
incident as “unfortunate” and warned that anywhere there is cultism and other
violent crimes, the council chairman and development centre coordinator will be
sacked.
’’All these robbery
and violent crimes is a by product of cultism,” Umahi said.
Police Commissioner Maigari
Dikko said 32 suspects were yesterday arrested in connection with the incident.
He said they had been
transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further
interrogation and prosecution – where necessary.
The commissioner, who
described the victims as tourists who had travelled through several countries
to get to Nigeria, added that about 1,150 euros and N13,000 were stolen from
them by the hoodlums.
“Thirty-two suspects were
arrested in the early hours of this morning (yesterday) and they are currently
being transferred to the SCID for investigation and screening,” Dikko said.
According to him, the wife
of the victim who reported the incident to the police, said she could identify
the people who killed her husband if she saw them.
Dikko said: “We got the
report yesterday from the DPO of Onicha LGA about the French nationals, a
couple; they were tourists who left their country on December 2014 and arrived
Nigeria through Badagry on 23rd of May, that is last saturday
“They passed through
Abeokuta, Benin, Onitsha, Enugu to Ebonyi with their vehicle a one door with
Caravan on it; they were passing through Ebonyi to Calabar when the incident
happened.
“They arrived Abomega in the
night and decided to spend the night there. According to the deceased’s wife,
her husband had complained that he was tired and secondly it was night.
“As fate would have it, they
didn’t report their presence to any law enforcement agents around, but decided
to look for a place that was naturally endowed with shelter, a place that has
tree and so they went two kilometres off the road to pass the night in a
location near the bush.
“They found a location where
we have a quarry site and decided to camp there; unfortunately, I believe that
as they were going there, they were seen and, according to the wife of the
deceased, when they were at the location, a motorcyclist, together with a man,
asked to know who they were.
“Unless investigation proves
otherwise, we are thinking that the motorcyclist was the informant to the
hoodlums. After an hour, he left, three people came into the car and by then
they had already erected their tent on top of the vehicle.”
Dikko, who noted that the
Police Headquarters and the French Embassy had already been informed about the
incident, added that the deceased was shot by the hoodlums during an argument
as they further inflicted machete-cut injuries on him.
He said arrangements were on
to ensure that Denis’ body is taken to France without delay. He promised that
the police will clampdown on the miscreants.
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