Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has promised to intensify security cooperation with states that share boundaries with Abia to prevent incursion of criminals from neighbouring states.
This collaboration by South-East governors, he said, was expedient to ensure that criminals don’t stray into Abia from other states to commit crimes.
Otti stated this in the wake of Saturday’s killing of two Chinese miners and their police escort at a mining site in Uturu, Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State.
Two Chinese expatriates — Mr Quan and Mr Cai — and a police escort, Inspector Audu Saidu, were killed, with the attackers carting away the officer’s rifle.
The victims were ambushed on Friday while en route to a mining site in the Agukwu-Amaya, Ndundu Community.
The governor in a statement by his Special Adviser to the Governor (Media and Publicity), Ferdinand Ekeoma was quoted as describing Saturday’s killing as dastardly.
Some of the states that border Abia are Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Anambra States.
The statement read, “The governor also promised to intensify security cooperation with states that share boundaries with Abia to build a formidable security architecture that would ensure that criminals don’t stray into Abia from such states to commit crimes on Abia soil, as was the case in this situation.”
He vowed to support all efforts to apprehend the killers as he charged security agencies in the state to arrest those behind the ambush and killing.
“Governor Otti is enraged that the perpetrators of the dastardly act could unleash such unprovoked attack on innocent persons, assuring that his government would provide the necessary support to security agents to ensure that the killers don’t go scot-free,” the statement read.
The Abia State Police Command had on Saturday reported that it received a distress call about the attack on Chinese expatriates and their escorts. T
“A distress report was received on 04/04/2025 at about 17:30hrs that unidentified armed men had ambushed and attacked a group of Chinese expatriates and their police escorts while they were en route to their company site located at Agukwu-Amaya, Ndundu Community, Uturu, Isuikwuato LGA,
“Tragically, during the attack, the manager, Mr Quan (male), his colleague Mr Cai (male), and Inspector Audu Saidu (one of the escort officers) were killed. The assailants also carted away Inspector Saidu’s rifle.”
In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Maureen Chinaka, the police said it collaborated with the military and other sister security agencies, where it successfully rescued four other Chinese expatriates and two escort police officers.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Danladi Isa, has ordered a manhunt for the suspects.
Meanwhile, the Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Orji Kalu, has called on the Inspector General of Police and the Abia State Government to ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the killing of two Chinese nationals and a police inspector in Abia State.
The victims were reportedly killed by gunmen who ambushed a convoy transporting the Chinese and their police escorts to a mining site in Isuikwuato, Abia State.
In a statement issued from his media office on Sunday, Kalu, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission, condemned the brutal attack and the killing of the Chinese expatriates and the police officer, while expressing dismay over what he described as “deliberate and unprovoked attacks on expatriates and security personnel.”
“Despite our rigorous efforts to end insecurity, crimes persist. I strongly condemn these unfortunate and unprovoked attacks that claimed the lives of two Chinese expatriates and a police officer, leaving several others injured near the Huan Cheng Mining Quarry site located at Agukwu Amaya, in the Ndundu community of Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia North Senatorial District.
“I call on the Inspector General of Police, relevant security agencies, and the Abia State Government to immediately apprehend the perpetrators and ensure they are brought to justice.
“Appropriate measures should also be implemented to prevent a recurrence of such incidents,” Kalu said.
