By Admin 
*Rescue Efforts Ongoing – Police
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Port Harcourt
RIVERS: A Hilux van carrying two company workers, including a foreign expatriate, plunged into the Okulu River along the Eleme section of the East-West Road in Rivers State on Monday night while fleeing from suspected kidnappers.
Eyewitnesses said the vehicle, part of a company convoy, skidded off the bridge after armed hoodlums attacked the convoy, causing the driver to lose control.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the van and its occupants were still trapped in the river, with ongoing efforts to rescue them.
The Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Hon. Brian Gokpa, confirmed the incident and mobilised rescue teams to the scene. He appealed to the Nigerian Navy and rescue agencies to assist in retrieving the van and rescuing the victims.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure the victims are rescued. The situation requires professional divers and marine police, and they have been deployed,” Gokpa stated.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, visited the scene and commended Hon. Gokpa for his swift response and the deployment of security forces and rescue teams.
“The security of lives and property is paramount, and we will ensure those behind this attack are brought to justice,” Adepoju said.
The East-West Road has become notorious for criminal activities, with kidnapping, vandalism, and accidents frequently occurring due to the road’s poor condition.
Local residents have called for urgent rehabilitation of the road to curb the increasing rate of kidnappings and accidents in the area.
As of the time of filing this report, divers and marine police officers were still at the scene conducting search and rescue operations.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident and said investigations are ongoing to apprehend those responsible for the attack.
“We are working round the clock to rescue the victims and ensure the culprits are arrested,” she said.