The incident took place on Okpoama Island, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa. Confirming the report, Mr Fidelis Odunna (DSP), the Police Public Relations Officer in Bayelsa, said the gunmen stormed the company’s site by boat and abducted the Chinese workers.

He, however, said that the police command had since deployed detectives to comb the creeks for possible clues, adding that “strategic security measures are being put in place to forestall a reoccurrence”.

Community sources earlier said one of the four kidnapped men was the company’s Operations Manager, who was simply identified as Mr J.H. Kin, saying the gunmen blindfolded their hostages and took them away in their speedboat.

The source said that the abduction was carried out in a “commando-like-manner”, as many of the company staff who witnessed the incident were reportedly helplessly.

Officials of the Joint Military Task force (JTF) and policemen have been deployed to the creeks to hunt down the kidnappers and secure the release of the expatriates.

However, the whereabouts of the kidnapped men has yet to be ascertained, while no group has claimed responsibility for the action.

Hyundai Fabrication Company fabricates metal materials used by the Brass Liquefied Natural Gas Company (BLNG). The local communities have been at loggerheads with the company over its failure to employ youths from the area. NAN