Unknown gunmen on Wednesday killed two persons as they abducted a German archaeologist, Prof. Peter Breunig and associate, Johannes Buringer at Jenjela village, in Kagarko local government of Kaduna State.
The professor is the leader of a team from the University of Frankfurt, Germany, working in Nigeria in collaboration with the National Commission for Museum and Monuments and other institutions on the relics of Nok culture in Nigeria.
Two ladies who are members of the team were however not taken by the abductors.
An eye witness who was part of the team working in collaboration with Germans said the incident happened when they had resumed for work at a site at Jenjela village.
He said they had started working when five gunmen appeared from the bush and ordered them to lie down.
“They started coming one after the other, the first two with machetes then the others with heavy guns. There were many people at the site who were working so they ordered us to lie facing down and shot into the air in order to scare people.”
“It was at that point that they asked the professor and his associate to follow them and they led them to the other side of the road, made them cross the road to the other side from where we were and began to lead them further into the bush.”
The eyewitness said at that point they were able to get up and witness what was going on.
He said: “One of us who is a hunter who they snatched a phone from asked us to go after the men but only one of us followed him and the two men crossed the road chasing after the gunmen.
“When they realised that the two men were following them, they turned and opened fire killing the hunter and the other man.”
The eyewitness said the matter has been reported to the police at Kagarko. (TV360 Nigeria)