Gunmen Abduct 9 Passengers In Kogi

By; ADAMA JOHN, Lokoja

Some men said to be heavily armed on Friday, ambushed a commercial bush and abducted nine passengers at Ogbabo Junction on Itobe-Anyigba road in the Confluence State.

Our correspondent gathered from dependable sources that the driver of the vehicle and six other passengers miraculously escaped the abduction saga by whiskers.

The abduction brouhaha Friday evening, was said to have occurred at about 4:20p.m. within the vicinity of the notorious Ogbabo Junction in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, reputed for kidnappings.

The gunmen, who laid ambush at the location on sighting the loaded commercial bus, sprang from their cocoons got hold of harmless passengers.

The gunmen embarked on shooting spree apparently to scare prospective intruders and forced the bus to a halt before firing sporadically into the distant space to scare the passengers.

Not withstanding the security network of the marauding beasts, the driver of the bus whose name was given as Mr Sunday Okechi outsmarted the gunmen and escaped into the bush with six others.

However, nine other passengers who were not that lucky were escorted into the dark forest by the hoodlums some 250 metres from the official military checkpoint on the road.

Security personnel however, were swiftly mobilised to the scene where the bus with registration number ENZ-55 XS and a blue Toyota Carina ‘E’ were found abandoned.

The security agencies in collaboration with personnel of local security agencies comprising the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and local hunters have since commenced a search-and-rescue operation to track the kidnappers and the victims.

Meanwhile, the Kogi State Police Command, while confirming the unfortunate incident, 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 personnel 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,” he said.