No fewer than two policemen were killed yesterday and their rifles stolen by gunmen in two communities in Cross River State.

A Chinese expatriate was also on Tuesday evening kidnapped by bandits in Ekiti State and his whereabouts were yet to be ascertained by security agencies as at yesterday.

In the Cross River State incidents, the gunmen killed the policemen at two checkpoints at Ofatura and Onyadama in Obubra Local Government Area, in the early hours of yesterday.

There was an unconfirmed report that six policemen and a soldier were killed in the attacks.

But the state police command debunked the casualty figure, saying two police lost their lives while a third one was injured.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, a Deputy Superintend of Police (DSP), said: “It was two of our men that were shot and two guns are taken away. One was injured. They tried to attack other divisions but they didn’t succeed. It was in Obubra that they succeeded.”

The attacks occurred barely one week after four policemen were killed at a checkpoint in Calabar and two of their rifles stolen.

Meanwhile, a Chinese expatriate was on Tuesday evening kidnapped in Ekiti State and his whereabouts are yet to be ascertained.

The man was said to have been kidnapped at Igbemo Ekiti in Irepodun Ifelodun Local Government Area.

Gunmen were said to have waylaid the expatriate, who was identified as one of the experts supervising the construction of Ilupeju-Ire-Igbemo-Ijan road, at Igbemo Ekiti while driving in a Hilux van and abducted.

The latest abduction occurred barely three months after a similar incident in the state in which two foreigners were kidnapped on the new Ado-Iyin road

Confirming the latest incident, the Police Public Relations Officers, Ekiti Command, Sunday Abutu, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) had launched a manhunt for the kidnappers.