Heavily armed men on Friday ambushed a commercial bus where they abducted 9 passengers in Ogbabo Junction along Itobe-Anyigba Road in Kogi State.
The driver and six passengers miraculously escaped abduction.
It was gathered that the gunmen who were laying ambush at the location suddenly bursted into the express way when they noticed a Hummer bus loaded with passengers was approaching.
The gunmen forced the bus to a halt and started firing sporadically to scare the passengers who were traveling in a Peace Mass Transit suspected to be heading towards the East.
However, the driver of the bus named Mr Sunday Okechi outsmarted the gunmen and escaped into the bush along with six passengers. But the nine other passengers were not that lucky as they were marched into the surrounding bushes.
The scene of the abduction was just some 300 meters to the next military checkpoint along Ogbabo-Ochadamu road.
Security personnel were swiftly mobilised to the scene, where the bus with registration number ENZ-55 XS and a blue Toyota Carina ‘E’ were found abandoned. Both vehicles have been taken into safe custody.
Security agencies in collaboration with vigilantes and local hunters have since commenced a search-and-rescue operation to track the kidnappers and the victims.
The Kogi State Police Command, while confirming the unfortunate development, said it was working with other sister agencies to rescue the victims.
Spokesman of the Command, SP Williams Ovye Aya, who confirmed the attack in a chat with our correspondent, said police were making efforts to rescue the victims and arrest the perpetrators.
“Yes, we are in touch with our men. The Command is making efforts in collaboration with the military, Vigilantes and Hunters to rescue the victims and arrest the criminals.”
