Update: Romanian engineer kidnapped in Nigeria

A Romanian engineer, Christian Nedelcu, 52, has been abducted by gunmen who swooped on him and others in Delta State.

The expatriate and his team were kidnapped at Railway Village in Owa Oyibo, Agbor, Delta State, dailypost.ng reports.

There was an exchange of sporadic gunshots at the scene of the incident between security escorts of the Romanian and the abductors after which the engineer was taken.

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer, Delta Police command said that the incident happened at late hours of Monday and a search is ongoing in the village for the abducted engineer.

According to Delta Police spokesperson Celestina Kalu, the Romanian was employed by the construction company Dextron Nigeria.

The Romanian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. George (charge d’affaires a. i. Gheorghe Predescu – our note), lamented the incident, as he urged the federal government, Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and other security agencies to investigate and employ all measures to rescue the engineer, the same source informs.

The information has been confirmed by the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE), which underscores that the embassy in Abuja is closely following the developments.

“The Romanian citizen’s family has been informed regarding the incident. The representatives of the Romanian diplomatic mission are in constant contact with the Nigerian federal authorities, with the employer as well as with the Romanian citizen’s family. We also stress that a crisis cell has been activated upon MAE’s request, specific procedures being followed,” a release sent to ziare.com informs.

According to Sun News Online, other persons were also kidnapped along with the Romanian citizen.