Govt all out to secure kidnapped engineer's release [May 23 2015]

by Manjula Fernando

The government is exploring at all possible means to secure the release of the kidnapped engineer in Kogi, Sri Lankan High commissioner in Nigeria A.L.Ratnapala told the Sunday Observer from Abhuja .

He declined to give further details of the on-going attempts, saying extreme caution needs to be observed in cases of this nature.

The High Commissioner, said there has been no further communication from the kidnapped Lankan but the Nigerian government was assisting to ensure that the Sri Lankan who had been working in Nigeria for ten 10 years, will be released unharmed.

The Engineer, S.Karunaratne was kidnapped in a brazen operation by a heavily armed gang seven days ago while he was travelling to Ondo from Okene in Kogi State.

He was working for the Italian owned Burni Coli Construction Company. His escort, a mobile policeman was killed in the incident and his driver sustained gunshot injuries.

The High Commissioner said Karunaratne contacted his relatives in Sri Lanka two days after the kidnapping and his captors had permitted him to speak to the family. He had been in a state of mental exhaustion but physical harm.

Asked if the kidnappers put forth a ransom demand, the Ambassador said he was not aware of such a demand. Karunaratne's family here, however, reportedly said that the kidnappers had asked for a huge ransom to release the Engineer.

Karunaratne was on his way to his workplace from his residence when the incident had occurred. He was the first Sri Lankan to be kidnapped in Nigeria but there had been similar incidents involving Indian and Chinese nationals in the past.