Suspected kidnappers have reportedly abducted an unspecified number of passengers travelling in three commercial buses along the Itobe-Achigili-Anyigba highway in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident, according to sources cited by Daily Trust, occurred in two separate attacks within a two-hour interval on Sunday at different points along the highway.
The first attack reportedly occurred at about 4pm when a Hummer bus belonging to Peace Mass Transit was intercepted between Ojuwo-Ajengo and Mamerebo settlements.
The bus was said to be travelling to Abuja from the eastern part of the country when it ran into a barricade mounted by the gunmen.
The second attack reportedly occurred around 6pm between Ojodu and Ojuwo-Olijo villages, where a Sharon and a Sienna commercial bus were allegedly intercepted by the gunmen.
Sources said the attackers forced all the occupants of the three buses into the bush after stopping the vehicles with barricades.
“We found two cellphones in the grass around one of the buses, which was later handed over to the security operatives. The armed men left with all the occupants of the three buses,” a source was quoted as saying.
The source said the first bus carried the inscription “Peace Mass Transit” and had fleet number 2838.
The other two vehicles, a Sharon and a Sienna bus, reportedly had registration numbers Kogi ERE 138 AE and BB 362 MKA respectively.
“The number of the abducted persons from each of the three buses is not clear yet, except through the passengers’ manifests,” the source from a local security outfit was quoted as saying.
Following the attacks, a joint security operation involving personnel of the Nigerian Army, police, local vigilantes and hunters was reportedly mobilised to the area.
The operation was aimed at rescuing the abducted passengers and apprehending the suspected kidnappers.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official statement from the Kogi State Police Command or other security agencies confirming the attacks or the number of passengers abducted.
