Armed assailants stormed the 24 Hours Quarry in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, at about 3:00 p.m. on Friday, abducting two Chinese expatriates in a brazen daylight attack that threw the busy mining site into chaos.

Eyewitnesses reported that the gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herders armed with AK-47 rifles, fired warning shots that riddled a parked truck, forcing workers to flee into nearby bushes. The attackers then singled out the foreign employees, bundling them into vehicles before escaping toward forested areas.

Spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, SP Omolola Odutola, confirmed the incident, stating that tactical teams have been deployed in pursuit of the kidnappers. No arrests or rescues have been made so far, and no ransom demands have been received. Locals expressed fears of possible reprisal attacks if security lapses persist.

The quarry, a major employer in the region, has suspended operations while investigations continue. Authorities suspect the motive may be kidnapping for ransom, reflecting the rising banditry in Ogun’s border communities.

This latest abduction underscores the growing vulnerability of expatriates in Nigeria’s mining sector. Chinese nationals have been repeatedly targeted in similar attacks across the country, including incidents in Kwara, Cross River, Abia, and Kogi States in recent years, where kidnappings and deadly ambushes have claimed lives of both workers and security escorts.

The Ogun quarry attack adds to Nigeria’s troubling record of insecurity in resource-rich regions, raising urgent questions about the protection of foreign workers and the resilience of critical industries against banditry.