Kogiflame
Armed bandit have reportedly abducted 9 passengers in Ogbabo junction along Itobe-Anyigba road, in Kogi state while driver and six passengers miraculously escaped abduction.
It was reliably gathered that the incident occurred Friday evening at about 4:20 p.m. near Ogbabo Junction in Ofu local government where the bus with registration number ENZ-55 XS and a blue Toyota Carina ‘E’ were found abandoned.
It was learnt 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 start firing guns 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 sorrounding bushes.
The scene of abduction was just some 300 meters to the next military checkpoint long 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 local securities such as Vigilante Group of Nigeria members, and local hunters have since commenced a search-and-rescue operation to track the kidnappers and the victims.
The Kogi State Police command spokesman SP Williams Ovye when contacted he confirmed the incident saying that armed police men have been deployed to go after the suspected bandit.
